Senate panel approves Scott Brown as NZ ambassador

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday approved former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) for ambassador to New Zealand.

The voice vote a day before all but assures the full Senate will confirm Brown to the post after the Memorial Day recess.

Brown, who served in the Senate from 2010 to 2013, faced no opposition during his confirmation hearing last week.

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Brown was also rumored to become secretary of Veteran Affairs, a position that was ultimately given to David Shulkin, who lead the VA’s healthcare system under former President Barack Obama.

The former Massachusetts lawmaker was elected to the Senate during a 2010 special election following the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D).

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) unseated Brown in 2012, and he lost another Senate race to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in 2014.

Warren congratulated Brown on his nomination in April, tweeting that he would “make the people of MA proud.”