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

Mr. Ratcliffe was known as a loyalist to the president when he served as director of national intelligence in the final year of the first Trump administration. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, he promised to lead a more aggressive spy agency.

John Ratcliffe was confirmed to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on Thursday, making him the second of President Donald Trump's cabinet picks to secure their position.

John 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 CIA.

Trump’s pick to become the nation’s intelligence chief faced scrutiny for her views on surveillance practices, which have historically been misused against marginalized communities.

Kash Patel appeared Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to be FBI director. Patel has been nominated to replace Trump-appointed Christopher Wray, whose resignation took effect on Jan. 20.

Three of the positions in the cabinet could be filled by Texans — one has secured confirmation, and two others await a decision. With these picks, Texas joins New York and Florida as the states with the most members tapped for the new cabinet.

Texas federal lawmakers are making a bipartisan effort to introduce legislation to help combat the Cattle Fever Tick infestation in Texas and nationwide.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is considering a run for US Senate, according to new reports. A run against Senator John Cornyn would be a test of the split in the Texas Republican Party.

President Donald Trump is carrying out his immigration crackdown nationwide, with nearly 1,000 arrests reported by ICE on Sunday alone. The actions prompted a tense standoff between the U.S. and Colombia after Colombia's president turned away deportation flights from the U.

FILE - Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe waits to board Marine One with President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Dec. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick ...

The agency had for years said it could not conclude whether COVID-19 was the result of a lab incident or it originated in nature.