NC Senator Thom Tillis Pushes to Move Past Trump-Appointed Mark Walker

The Struggle for Mark Walker’s Ambassador Nomination

Sen. Thom Tillis has publicly stated that the Senate should move forward from the nomination of former Rep. Mark Walker for the position of ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. His comments, shared with McClatchy, come as Walker and his allies have been actively pushing for his confirmation through social media and news outlets, urging senators to bring his nomination before the Senate floor before Christmas.

President Trump has emphasized the importance of this role, stating that it is a priority for him due to its focus on religious freedom. Walker has expressed frustration over the delay, noting that many people have reached out for help, and he feels the delay is hindering his ability to fight for those who are imprisoned, tortured, or killed simply for their faith.

On Monday, multiple outlets reported that some supporters of Walker, a Republican from Greensboro, suggested that Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, is blocking his nomination from reaching a Senate hearing. This accusation stems from their 2022 Senate campaigns against each other, where Budd won the Republican primary with 58.6% of the vote against Walker and former Gov. Pat McCrory.

Budd responded to NBC News by stating that he wants to ensure the president has someone qualified for the role. He clarified that he is not a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where the nomination has stalled. "I'm certainly not the one holding him up," Budd said. "I'm not the problem here. I'm going to support the president's nominee in a vote. But at the time, I think there are concerns."

Tillis, when asked about the nomination by McClatchy, stated that he supports Budd. "I've made it clear that I'm supporting Budd," he said. "I actually think we're reaching a point, too, where the position has been open for the better part of a year. We should look for another nominee, with all due respect to Mark Walker."

Tillis and Budd are not the only potential obstacles to Walker's appointment. The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, suggested to Breitbart News that he does not believe Walker has enough support. However, Walker, who spoke to McClatchy Tuesday evening, claims he has the support. "We've not had a single person tell us that they would not support us, and we have talked to a ton of people, Senate leadership, you name it, across the board," Walker said. "We feel good about things."

He added that he believes he would sail through a Senate confirmation hearing.

What Could Be Next for Mark Walker?

If Walker's nomination isn't approved by the Senate before the end of the year, it expires, and Trump would need to renominate him or find someone else. To add pressure to Walker's situation, if he were to run for an elected political office, it would be too late. Candidate filing for 2026 ends at noon on Friday.

Walker has become a perennial candidate in North Carolina, last running in 2024 against Rep. Addison McDowell, who had Trump's endorsement. During that campaign, Walker riled up several high-profile political figures, including Donald Trump Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who all announced they either had not endorsed Walker as he said or were withdrawing their support.

McDowell won the election with 26% of the vote to 24% for Walker. Walker made it clear he would ask for a runoff election but changed his mind after Trump offered him a job in outreach to faith groups and minority communities for his 2024 campaign.

In April, after Trump took office, he nominated Walker to serve as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, but Walker has yet to come before the Senate for a hearing.

Trump was asked about Walker's nomination during a news conference in the Oval Office and said, "he's heard good things" about Walker before asking if something had come up with his nominee. "I've always found him to be a high quality person," Trump said before adding he would like to see him confirmed.

The position Walker is nominated for was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Five people have held the position since then, most recently Rashad Hussain, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate. The position falls under the U.S. Department of State.

Ted Budd's Role

On Monday, following NBC News' report about Budd blocking Walker's nomination, Budd's spokesman Christian McMullen told McClatchy that if Walker's nomination "advances to the floor, Sen. Budd would vote in favor of the nomination." Budd's team gave the same statement to NBC News.

Budd could not immediately be reached for comment following Tillis' statements because he was in a secure location of the Capitol for an intelligence briefing. But his team directed McClatchy to the comments Budd made earlier in the day to NBC News about concerns.

Neither Tillis nor Budd elaborated on those concerns. "I'm not going to get into the details, but the role is a very important role," Tillis said. He noted that in Trump's first term, he and then-Ambassador Sam Brownback worked to free a North Carolina pastor imprisoned in Turkey. "It's a very, very important role. We do need to get it filled."

Walker agreed about the importance of the role, saying that he wants to engage on issues like attacks on religious groups in Australia, Syria, and Africa, but he can't get to work without confirmation.

"This is a crucial position," Walker said.

Walker added that he was unaware of Tillis or Budd blocking his vote, and said he is choosing to take Budd at his word that he isn't. But he said it was hard to comment on Tillis' statements when it sounds like Budd and Tillis are disagreeing on whether there is a block.

Tillis said that Walker's pressure to act on his nomination is "a mistake." "I think every time somebody tries to do that from the outside, they live to regret it," Tillis said.

Supporters of Walker's, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Ben Carson, vice chairman of the Trump-appointed Religious Liberty Commission; and many pastors sent a letter to Trump asking him for his help getting Walker's nomination across the finish line.