Cornyn drops Kari Lake opposition after AIDS funding ‘assurances’

Published July 22, 2026 11:54am ET | Updated July 22, 2026 1:13pm ET



Two diplomat nominees opposed by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) will get a confirmation vote on the Senate floor after the Trump administration provided him “assurances” on delayed AIDS funding.

Cornyn allowed the nominations of Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano, two close allies of President Donald Trump, to advance out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, teeing up a vote before the full chamber. Lake has been nominated to be ambassador to Jamaica, while Mastriano was tapped by Trump for a post in the Slovak Republic.

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