WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — The Senate voted to confirm Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, CatholicVote co-founder and former president Brian Burch, on Saturday.
In a 49-44 vote on August 2, the Senate officially confirmed Burch as the new U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Senate Democrats had opposed and previously delayed Burch’s nomination due to his support for the Trump administration’s slashing of funding for USAID.
“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 wrote in a series of X posts following the vote. “I have the honor and privilege of serving in this role following the historic selection of the first American pope.”
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. I have the honor and privilege of serving in this role following the historic selection of the first American pope.
— Brian Burch (@BrianBurchCV) August 2, 2025
“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,” he added.
Senate Democrats had delayed Burch’s confirmation in May when they blocked a move to expedite his confirmation so he could begin serving as Vatican ambassador in time for Pope Leo XIV’s installation Mass.
During his Senate confirmation hearings a month earlier in April, Burch defended cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and received scathing criticism from Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH).
The pro-abortion, pro-LGBT senator noted that the Catholic charity Caritas had denounced the slashing of USAID as a decision allegedly fatal to “millions of people” and that would “condemn” many more to “dehumanizing poverty.” Caritas has itself faced criticism for leftist leanings.
The former CatholicVote president said he supported the Trump administration’s decision to cut funds toward areas “not aligned with U.S. interests” and instead focus foreign aid “on places that would make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
The USAID cuts have stopped millions of dollars in funding to groups that support abortion, LGBT ideology, and other left-wing causes.
READ: Trump’s Vatican ambassador pick defends historic USAID spending cuts
Burch fully supports Catholic Church teaching, as does his organization, CatholicVote, which advocates for the living out of Catholic teaching in public life. CatholicVote has supported the election of Trump, since the president’s policies have conformed more to Catholic teaching than those of his political rivals.
Trump praised this support when he announced that Burch was his pick for Vatican ambassador, writing in December, “He represented me well during the last Election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History! Brian loves his Church and the United States – He will make us all proud.”
READ: Trump nominates CatholicVote founder Brian Burch as US Ambassador to the Holy See
Burch has also sharply criticized decisions of the late Pope Francis, declaring that he had shown a “pattern of vindictiveness and punishment” that “seems to fly in the face of what he says about being an instrument of mercy and accompaniment.”
