The Senate confirmed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff early Friday, filling the position almost two months after President Trump fired his predecessor. Trump nominated Caine to become the top US military officer in February after abruptly firing Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the second Black general to serve as chairman, as part of his administration's campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks, per the AP. The Senate confirmed Caine 60-25 in an overnight vote before heading home for a two-week recess.
Caine is a decorated F-16 combat pilot who served in leadership in multiple special operations commands, in some of the Pentagon's most classified programs and in the CIA. He doesn't meet prerequisites for the job set out in a 1986 law, such as being a combatant commander or service chief. But those requirements can be waived by the president if there is a determination that "such action is necessary in the national interest."
Caine's confirmation in the middle of the night, just before the Senate left town, comes as Republicans have been quickly advancing Trump's nominees, and as Democrats have been trying to delay the process and show that they're fighting Trump's policies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune set up the early morning vote after Democrats objected to speeding up procedural votes on the nomination. Still, Caine was confirmed with some bipartisan support.
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At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Caine said he'd be candid in his advice to Trump and vowed to be apolitical. He also disputed Trump's story that Caine wore a MAGA hat when the two first met. "I have never worn any political merchandise," he said. Trump's relationship with Caine dates to his first administration. They met during a trip to Iraq, as Trump recounted in a 2019 speech. He has said Caine is "a real general, not a television general."
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