Senate confirms Colin Kahl to Pentagon post in 49-45 vote

"Thank you to @POTUS, @VP, and @SecDef for your faith and confidence in me," Kahl tweeted. "Thank you to the Senate for today’s confirmation vote. And thank you to my family and friends for all your support, love, good humor, and patience. Time to get to work!"
Colin Kahl on March 4, 2021
By Alex Nitzberg

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Colin Kahl to serve as undersecretary of defense for policy in a 49-45 vote that did not include any Republican support.

"Thank you to @POTUS, @VP, and @SecDef for your faith and confidence in me," Kahl tweeted. "Thank you to the Senate for today’s confirmation vote. And thank you to my family and friends for all your support, love, good humor, and patience. Time to get to work!"

Five GOP senators and one Democrat did not vote on Kahl's confirmation. "Among several lawmakers who did not vote, Republican Sens. Kevin Cramer and Richard Shelby were out of Washington, D.C. due to family emergencies. Shelby returned to Alabama on Tuesday morning, and Cramer announced he would be away all week after his mother died," according to Defense News.

A National Republican Senatorial Committee press release on Tuesday included a statement from spokesperson Katharine Cooksey who blasted Kahl: "Kahl is a pro-Iran, anti-Israel extremist who would pour gasoline on the flames of the Biden Border Crisis. American families need to feel safe, but Kahl's platform would put them directly in harm's way."