Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. has accused his Democratic colleagues of working to block the expedited confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, before Pope Leo XIV’s formal installation this weekend.
On Tuesday, He delivered a speech on the Senate floor, alleging that Democrats had placed a “blanket hold” on Brian Burch, president of the conservative political advocacy group CatholicVote, who was nominated for the diplomatic post.
The U.S. Senate Journal from that day, part of the Congressional Record, shows Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, explaining how he had “placed a ‘hold on nominees coming out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee because it has been almost 4 months since Donald Trump and Marco Rubio illegally and unilaterally shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development under the guise of a so-called review, which should be done by now.”
Schmitt claimed that this was an attempt by Democrats to obstruct the nomination as part of broader partisan tactics, while Schatz described the administration’s actions as a violation of the Foreign Assistance Act and the Impoundment Control Act.
Schatz’s remarks followed Schmitt’s request that Burch’s nomination be considered “without intervening action or debate.” Schatz clarified that he was not explicitly blocking Burch’s confirmation but was working to “slow things down, even if it is slightly.”
Later, Schatz listed other cabinet nominees being considered this week, emphasizing that “If this is a very important and [time-sensitive] confirmation, all we need to do is have the majority leader file a cloture petition, we wait 1 day, and then we vote.”
In a video posted to X on Tuesday, Schmitt stated, “I asked for unanimous consent to get the Ambassador to the Vatican approved in time to get to the installation of the pope this weekend.” He criticized the opposition, saying, “[Democrats are] objecting to everything. They’re totally broken. They don’t stand for anything except obstructionism and trying to get headlines for one ridiculous thing after another so that’s the state of play.”
Burch’s nomination was reported favorably out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 30. That same day, it was placed on the “Senate Executive Calendar” and was subject to the nominee’s “commitment to respond to requests to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of the Senate.”
President Trump nominated Burch to serve as Ambassador to the Holy See in a December post on Truth Social. Trump praised Burch as a “devout Catholic” and “a father of nine,” stating that “he has received numerous awards, and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country.”
“[Burch] represented me well during the last Election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History! Brian loves his Church and the United States — He will make us all proud,” Trump wrote.
The effort to confirm Burch’s appointment comes roughly a week before Pope Leo XIV, the American-born Robert Prevost, is set to have his formal installation as the 267th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Leo XIV’s installation ceremony is scheduled for this weekend.
