U.S. Senate advances nomination of Biden U.N. nominee, final vote due Tuesday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Monday to advance the nomination of President Joe Biden's pick to be ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, clearing the way for a vote on her confirmation on Tuesday.

The tally was 75-20 on a procedural measure to end debate. All 20 of the "no" votes came from Republicans.

Thomas-Greenfield, 68, is a 35-year veteran of the Foreign Service who has served on four continents, most notably in Africa.

Republicans who opposed her nomination have focused on a 2019 speech she gave that some said was favorable to Beijing. Thomas-Greenfield and her supporters pushed back, citing her decades as a diplomat seeking to increase U.S. influence and counteract China's.

At her confirmation hearing in late January, she stressed the importance of U.S. re-engagement with the 193-member United Nations in order to challenge efforts by China to "drive an authoritarian agenda."

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Stephen Coates)