Democrats, whose approval rating has plunged to its lowest in over three decades, have worked vigorously to prevent President Donald Trump from properly executing his agenda.
A big part of their strategy in the U.S. Senate has been to slow-walk the president’s nominees for the bench, assistant cabinet secretaries, and ambassadors by refusing their confirmation through unanimous consent or voice votes.
Republicans began to steamroll the opposition during a rare weekend session on Saturday, successfully voting on some of Trump’s nominees whom Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) smeared as “historically bad” picks.
In addition to confirming retired CKE Restaurants CEO Andrew Puzder as ambassador to the European Union earlier in the day, the Senate confirmed CatholicVote co-founder Brian Burch as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican in a vote along party lines.
“I am profoundly grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for this opportunity to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See,” Burch said in a statement obtained by Blaze News. “I have the honor and privilege of serving in this role following the historic selection of the first American pope. In a remarkable coincidence, or what I prefer to attribute to Providence, Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, which is also my hometown.”
When announcing Burch as his nominee in December, Trump noted that the Phoenix-born father of nine, who was president of CatholicVote until June, “received numerous awards, and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country.”
Trump noted further that Burch helped him garner “more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History!”
Ahead of the election, CatholicVote helped raised awareness about Harris’ antipathy to Catholics — who make up roughly 20% of the U.S. population — as well as to Catholic organizations and Catholic moral teaching, running a multimillion-dollar ad campaign on theme in critical swing states.
As part of this campaign, Burch provided Americans with a damning reminder about Harris’ suggestion in 2018 that a Trump nominee’s Catholic faith disqualified him from serving on the federal bench.
“Kamala Harris hates what we believe,” Burch said.
CatholicVote also released an eye-opening ad revealing Harris’ support for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an “anti-Catholic hate group” that has since its inception in 1979 mocked Catholic teaching and doctrine and ridiculed the church’s orthodox views on marriage, sexuality, homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion.
‘The relationship between the Holy See and the United States remains one of the most unique in the world.’
Burch’s group appears to have helped move the needle.
Trump enjoyed a 12-point advantage among Catholics over failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The Pew Research Center indicated that 22% of those who voted in the 2024 election and cast a ballot for Trump were Catholic.
Burch, also the president of Seton Academy Catholic Montessori School in Illinois, was set to be confirmed as ambassador in May — shortly after Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV — but Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz (D) put a blanket hold on all State Department nominees.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) told the Catholic News Agency at the time, “I never thought I’d see the day when Democrats would be willing to block the nominee for ambassador to the Holy See simply to score political points with their far-left radicals, but it seems they’re still searching for rock bottom.”
Despite the holdup, Trump ultimately got his way, and Burch got his confirmation.
“The relationship between the Holy See and the United States remains one of the most unique in the world, with the global reach and moral witness of the Catholic Church serving as a critical component of U.S. efforts to bring about peace and prosperity,” Burch said in his statement to Blaze News. “As a proud Catholic American, I look forward to representing President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Secretary Rubio in this important diplomatic post. I ask for the prayers of all Americans, especially my fellow Catholics, that I may serve honorably and faithfully in the noble adventure ahead.”
Kelsey Reinhardt, who took over for Burch as president of CatholicVote in June, said, “For the past 17 years, Brian has faithfully championed CatholicVote’s mission to inspire American Catholics to live their faith in public life. We are confident that he will similarly excel in this new role and are forever grateful for the foundation he laid and the impact he had on millions of Catholics across the Nation.”
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