President Trump has re-nominated Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback for a post in the U.S. State Department.
The president’s re-nomination of Brownback to serve as ambassador for international religious freedom won’t trigger any immediate action.
Brownback says he will remain governor until the U.S. Senate votes to confirm him.
First nominated in July, Brownback expected to start his new job before the end of last year. He recently began handing over responsibilities to his successor, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer.
But Democratic opposition to Brownback’s nomination prompted Senate leaders to postpone a vote on his confirmation. That forced Colyer, who has already started assembling staff ahead of his own campaign for governor, into an awkward holding pattern.
So, it will be Brownback, not Colyer, giving the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature on Tuesday evening.
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Jim McLean is managing director of KMUW's Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KMUW, Kansas Public Radio and KCUR covering health, education and politics in Kansas. Follow him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.
