Former Congressman John Ratcliffe is the nation's new CIA director after the Senate voted 74-25 in favor of his confirmation on Thursday.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Ratcliffe faced a brief delay to his nomination from Democrats questioning his independence from President Donald Trump.

The Senate advanced John Ratcliffe’s nomination for Central Intelligence Agency director in a key test vote, effectively guaranteeing he will be confirmed in a final vote later Thursday.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead America’s premier spy agency and his second nominee to win Senate approval.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Thursday to confirm John Ratcliffe as the next CIA director, approving the second high-level appointment for the new Trump administration.

Ratcliffe, 59, is the first person to have served as both director of national intelligence and chief of the CIA.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune had called out Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy for delaying the vote on a “key national security position.”

If Robert F Kennedy Jr's nomination is confirmed, he will lead a federal agency overseeing US medical research and food safety standards.

President Donald Trump has begun his second administration with a series of controversial moves and decisions.

Three of the positions in the cabinet could be filled by Texans — one has secured confirmation, and two others await a decision. With these picks, Texas joins New York and Florida as the states with the most members tapped for the new cabinet.