Biden nominates Cindy McCain as ambassador to UN food agency

President Biden will nominate Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), as U.S. representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, the White House said Wednesday, a position that will come with the rank of ambassador.

McCain had been rumored as a candidate for an ambassadorship, meaning that Wednesday’s announcement did not come as a particular surprise. Biden and the late John McCain were friends during their time in the Senate. Cindy McCain crossed party lines to endorse Biden in September during the heat of the presidential campaign, which served as a rebuke of former President Trump, who clashed with her husband.

McCain will need to be approved by the Senate in order to serve in the role, which involves representing the U.S. at a specialized U.N. agency focused on ending hunger and making sure people worldwide have access to good-quality food.

The White House announced the pick among a group of 17 nominations to other administration posts. Biden also announced Claire Cronin, a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, as his nominee for U.S. ambassador to Ireland; Michael Carpenter, managing director at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, as U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) with the rank of ambassador; and former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) as U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The announcement followed other political ambassador picks that Biden announced earlier this month. Biden has also nominated former Obama administration official Tom Nides as ambassador to Israel and former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar as ambassador to Mexico.

Biden has also nominated his former deputy campaign manager, Rufus Gifford, as chief of protocol at the State Department with the rank of ambassador. The president has also nominated a handful of career members of the foreign service to serve in ambassadorships.

The White House highlighted McCain’s participation in civic and philanthropic organizations, noting her membership in the Human Trafficking Council at the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University and her membership on the Leadership Council at the Too Small to Fail Initiative in New York City.

“I am honored to be selected by President Biden to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture,” McCain said in a statement issued by the McCain Institute. “The communities this group serves need our support and focus, and I look forward to meeting the challenges this role presents. I’m especially appreciative of the McCain Institute, its board, the team at the Institute and our partners at Arizona State University for their support and for preparing me for this position.”