WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed former Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe to serve as the next director of the CIA on Thursday.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Former Congressman John Ratcliffe is the nation's new CIA director after the Senate voted 74-25 in favor of his confirmation on Thursday.

The Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe, former director of national intelligence, as head of the CIA on Thursday by a 74-25 vote. In November, then-President-elect Donald Trump announced his selection of Ratcliffe as the next director of the intelligence agency.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead America's premier spy agency and his second nominee to win Senate approval. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is the first person to have held that position and the top post at the

Trump's pick to be CIA director promised in his confirmation hearing to hone in on setting strong intelligence collection priorities and "demanding relentless execution."

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the CIA told senators during his confirmation hearing Wednesday that the nation’s premier spy agency must do a better job of staying ahead of global threats posed by Russia, China and other adversaries.

Republicans and Democrats praised the former lawmaker and intelligence official, who vowed not to use political loyalty tests at the CIA.