Politics
State of the Union: Colby received three votes from Democrats, though Sen. McConnell voted against him.
The Senate has confirmed Elbridge Colby as the undersecretary of defense for policy, the third highest role at the Pentagon. Colby’s nomination for the role has been seen as a major opportunity for foreign policy realists in the second Trump administration.
Colby was confirmed by a vote of 54–45. Three Democrats, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), voted in favor of Colby’s nomination.
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Colby’s nomination had faced some resistance from Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), who had questioned Colby’s views on Iran, in particular Colby’s past articulation of the view that a nuclear-armed Iran could be contained.
NEW — McConnell just voted against Trump’s pick for Pentagon policy chief, Bridge Colby.
“Elbridge Colby’s long public record suggests a willingness to discount the complexity of the challenges facing America, the critical value of our allies and partners, and the urgent need to… pic.twitter.com/03A4ycBVxh
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) April 8, 2025
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a neocon grandee and former senate majority leader, was the sole Republican to vote against Colby’s nomination. McConnell criticized Colby’s desire to pivot U.S. grand strategy towards the Indo-Pacific in a statement.
