Pence breaks tie to confirm Sam Brownback as International Religious Freedom ambassador

Vice President Mike Pence raced to the Capitol to break a Senate vote tie on Wednesday to finally confirm the appointment of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.

According to CBN News, Pence broke a 49–49 deadlock to end the debate and proceed to a final vote on Brownback's confirmation, which has been delayed for nearly half a year.

The vote was in jeopardy because Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was on medical leave, while Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was in Davos, Switzerland.

Brownback was nominated back in July, but the Senate failed to vote on his confirmation before the end of the year, forcing President Donald Trump to re-nominate him in January.

Many Democrats objected to his confirmation, citing concerns over his stance toward the LGBT community and and alleging that he does not support women's religious rights.

A senate top aide said that Republicans initially believed that at least 15 Democrats supported the nomination, but Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) had reportedly encouraged his fellow Democrats to vote against Brownback's confirmation.

Brownback, the first Catholic to fill the position, will be responsible for monitoring religious persecution and discrimination on a global scale through the Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF).

"Thank you to @POTUS, @VP, and all the Senators who supported my nomination. I'm looking forward to starting my new position as Ambassador and working hard for the American people and religious freedom around the world," Brownback tweeted after the vote.

Brownback will be resigning as the governor of Kansas and will be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer. While he was still awaiting confirmation, Brownback had already handed off budget preparations to Colyer and allowed him to name a cabinet secretary.

David Curry, president of advocacy group Open Doors USA, hailed Brownback's confirmation and said that his organization looks forward to partnering with the new religious freedom ambassador.

"Brownback is a champion of international religious freedom," Curry said, as reported by Christianity Today. "His efforts as a senator demonstrate his relentless commitment to freedom of faith for all people around the world," he added.

Maureen Ferguson, Senior Policy Advisor with The Catholic Association, described Brownback as a "passionate defender of the rights of all people to worship freely," noting that he has "courageously confronted offenses against human rights in trouble spots around the world throughout his career."

Before he was elected governor, Brownback had served in the U.S. Senate between 1996 and 2011. During that time, he co-sponsored the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and he served as the co-chair of Congressional Human Rights Caucus.