WASHINGTON President Donald Trump s trade agenda continues to scramble American party politics.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert Lighthizer, Trumps nominee for U.S. trade representative, in an 82-14 vote. The vote did not break down along neat partisan lines: Three Republicans voted against him and 36 members of the Senate Democratic caucus joined other Republicans in voting for him.

The unusual final tally reflects the way in which Trumps trade skepticism has the power to win him unlikely allies and enemies.

A leading trade policy hawk, Lighthizer was one of the last Cabinet-level officials awaiting confirmation. His selection in January elicited praise from many liberal economists, and the Senate Finance Committee unanimously voted to send his nomination to the Senate floor in late April.

The last-minute spending bill Congress passed last week included a provision that paved the way for Lighthizers confirmation by giving him an exemption from restrictions on nominees who have lobbied for foreign governments in the past.

Trump hasnt followed through on the dramatic trade promises he made during his campaign, which the president has occasionally blamed on delays to Lighthizers confirmation.

But in the run-up to the final vote, Lighthizers confirmation encountered opposition from members of Trumps own party.

Two Republican senators, John McCain (Ariz.) and Ben Sasse (Neb.), came out against Lighthizers nomination on Wednesday because of his views against the North American Free Trade Agreement. A third, Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.), also ultimately voted nay. Without Democratic support, those three defections would have been enough to sink Lighthizers confirmation.

A constant theme throughout your confirmation process has been your failure to grasp the importance of protecting agriculture in trade negotiations, Sasse and McCain wrote in a letter to Lighthizer, noting that the nominee had failed to put Sasse at ease on the agriculture question in a private meeting.

America needs a USTR who will effectively defend agriculture during trade negotiations and fight to expand agricultural export markets, not let Americas farmers and ranchers become collateral damage in a trade war, Sasse and McCain wrote.

The agriculture sector is particularly worried about upending the trade status quo because American farmers sell a ton of crops for export. While the U.S. as a whole has been running half-trillion-dollar trade deficits with other countries, agriculture has actually boasted a surplus since the 1960s . At the same time, low prices for commodities like corn and wheat have sharply reduced farm incomes in recent years, causing some farmers to worry theyre on the brink of a farm depression like one that happened in the early 1980s in large part because farmers lost access to a foreign commodity market.