US Senate Confirms Joshua Harris As Ambassador To Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 (Bernama) --  The United States (US) Senate has confirmed the nomination of Joshua Harris as the country's next Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Malaysia.

According to the US Congress website, Harris was confirmed by the Senate through a voice vote on Sept 30, 2026.

Harris, from Maryland, is a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counsellor.

His nomination was received from President Donald Trump on July 21, 2026, and referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The committee held a hearing on Sept 16 before being discharged by unanimous consent on Sept 30, the same day the Senate considered and confirmed his nomination.

The confirmation marks the completion of the Senate's consideration of Harris's nomination to represent the United States in Malaysia.

Harris served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs from July 18, 2022 until Aug 5, 2025, overseeing US relations with Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.

The ambassadorial post in Kuala Lumpur has been vacant since February following the departure of Edgard D. Kagan, who concluded his tenure as the 22nd US Ambassador to Malaysia.

Kagan, a career diplomat, presented his credentials to His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, in March 2024 after being confirmed by the Senate in November 2023.

Details of Harris's nomination and its confirmation by the US Senate on Sept 30, 2026, are available on the US Congress website https://www.congress.gov/nomination/119th-congress/1201/4.

-- BERNAMA