The Senate has confirmed Jay Clayton to become head of the nation’s intelligence agencies. The vote Tuesday puts a permanent director in the job weeks after President Donald Trump sought to delay his nomination. Clayton is the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman. Republicans had initially hoped to confirm Clayton in June, but Trump delayed his hearing in order to allow his temporary pick for the job, Bill Pulte, to take over for several weeks. The last director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, resigned in May.

The House adopted a Republican-only $95 billion budget proposal, a long-shot effort to fund the Iran war and other White House priorities. Speaker Mike Johnson worked Wednesday to push it over objections from Democrats and some GOP holdouts as priority before the midterm elections. The package includes $73 billion for the Pentagon and other national security needs, $12 billion for farmers struggling under President Donald Trump’s tariffs and $10 billion for voting law changes that are a Trump priority. Democrats argued the money should be spent at home, particularly on efforts to lower costs for Americans.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has advanced the nomination of Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the nation’s intelligence agencies. The vote was along party lines. The 9-8 vote came after some Democrats had praised Clayton and indicated that they might vote for him. But that shifted after a contentious hearing last week in which Clayton repeatedly refused to say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said during the hearing that he was “bitterly disappointed” in Clayton. The intelligence panel vote sets up a floor vote on Clayton’s nomination, potentially early next week.