President Donald Trump’s pick to lead U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency is one step away from Senate confirmation, as lawmakers on Monday approved one last procedural measure and teed up the nominee for a final floor vote.
The Senate voted 68-28 to limit debate on Army Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd, who has been selected for the dual-hat role. The procedural hurdle, known as cloture, typically serves as a bellwether for how the nominee will perform on a final vote.
Given today’s outcome, Rudd, the deputy chief of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, will almost certainly be confirmed on Tuesday.
The nominee to helm Cyber Command and the NSA has traditionally cleared the Senate without a formal vote. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) took the unusual step to circumvent a procedural hold from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who last month pledged to block Rudd from receiving a quick confirmation.
Speaking on the chamber floor before the vote, Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Rudd’s nomination a “mistake.”
“Our country needs an NSA director with experience in U.S. signals activities and it has to come from working in these issues around the world. General Rudd does not have that experience,” he said, citing the ongoing war with Iran.
“Americans are at war, and we cannot afford to promote someone who lacks the experience for the job” as head of Cyber Command, he added.
Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) cited his panel’s vote, noting that “there is strong bipartisan support” for Rudd “even among people who agree with my colleague about the wisdom of the president.”
“We need this gentleman in office.”
Trump selected Rudd for the joint leadership position in December after passing over two other contenders. He was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee by voice vote in January and cleared the Senate Intelligence Committee by a vote of 14-3 last month.
If confirmed by the full chamber, Rudd would be the first Senate-approved leader of Cyber Command and the NSA since Trump fired former head Gen. Timothy Haugh nearly a year ago.
Army Lt. Gen. William Hartman, who was once a candidate to fill the dual-hat role, has led both organizations since Haugh’s dismissal.
Recorded Future
Intelligence Cloud.
No previous article
No new articles
Martin Matishak
is the senior cybersecurity reporter for The Record. Prior to joining Recorded Future News in 2021, he spent more than five years at Politico, where he covered digital and national security developments across Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community. He previously was a reporter at The Hill, National Journal Group and Inside Washington Publishers.
