Senate Confirmation Gives President Trump Another Big Win
The U.S. Senate has approved the promotion of Maj. Gen. John L. Rafferty, Jr. to lieutenant general, along with his appointment as commanding general of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command—marking another key national security confirmation under President Donald J. Trump’s second-term administration.
Rafferty brings more than 33 years of military leadership and technical experience to the role, with a background heavily rooted in field artillery operations and senior command and staff positions. He is currently serving as chief of staff at U.S. European Command in Germany, where he has played a central role in coordinating U.S. military posture and readiness across the continent.
Over the course of his career, Rafferty has held several high-profile and strategically significant positions, including commanding general of the 56th Artillery Command in Germany; chief of Army Public Affairs in Washington, D.C.; director of the Long Range Precision Fires Cross Functional Team at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; executive officer to the director of the Army Staff in Washington; and commander of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
His operational experience includes support for major U.S. military efforts such as Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Spartan Shield, and Inherent Resolve, among others.
Rafferty will succeed Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, who is retiring after more than 35 years of distinguished service to the nation.
The confirmation comes as Senate Republicans continue to move at a historic pace in advancing President Trump’s nominees. In a 53–43 vote on Thursday, the Senate approved 97 of the president’s picks—one of the final rounds of floor action following an intense legislative period led by Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after Republicans reclaimed control of the chamber in January.
The pace of confirmations has surpassed that of any prior administration, including President Trump’s first term. Senate Republicans have now confirmed nearly 100 nominees in a single stretch, even as they navigated internal debates, passed the president’s “one big, beautiful bill,” and reopened the federal government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Despite the progress, GOP leaders say the process has been deliberately slowed by Democratic obstruction. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., pointed to what he described as a coordinated effort by Democrats to block even routine nominations.
“We started the year by confirming President Trump’s Cabinet faster than any other Senate in modern history,” Barrasso told Fox. “And by the end of the week, the Senate will have confirmed 417 of President Trump’s nominees this year. That’s a lot more than the 365 Joe Biden had in his first year as president.”
In response to the bottleneck, Republicans invoked the nuclear option in September, lowering the vote threshold required to confirm sub-Cabinet nominees. Since then, confirmations have accelerated, clearing much of a backlog that had ballooned to nearly 150 nominees over the summer. Only 15 remain.
Majority Leader Thune accused Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of engaging in partisan delay tactics rather than governance. Fox News reported that Thune said Democrats were doing “nothing more than petty politics” by blocking standard procedures such as voice votes and unanimous consent. He added, “Democrats cannot deal with the fact that the American people elected President Trump, and so they’ve engaged in this pointless political obstruction in revenge.”
Among the recently confirmed nominees are former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., who will serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor, as well as James Murphy and Scott Mayer, both appointed to the National Labor Relations Board. Additional confirmations span nearly every federal agency, with senators also expected to consider Joshua Simmons, President Trump’s nominee for CIA special counsel.
At the same time, lawmakers are negotiating a major spending package that includes five appropriations bills. Some Democrats oppose the so-called “minibus,” casting doubt on whether it will reach the Senate floor before lawmakers depart Washington. Fox News reported that negotiations continued late Thursday, with Thune emphasizing that clearing the nominees package remained the immediate priority. “We’ll see where it goes from there,” he said.