The Senate voted unanimously to confirm Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state on Monday, becoming the first confirmed member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet in his second administration.
All 99 senators voted for Rubio, including Rubio himself. There is currently a vacancy in the chamber due to the resignation of Vice President JD Vance in mid-January. Rubio, the first Hispanic-American to hold the position, is expected to step down in the Senate.
Rubio’s experience as the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee gave his resume the necessary credentials to win the public support of some Democrats.
“Leading the US State Department is a tremendous responsibility, and I am honored by President Trump’s confidence in me,” Rubio said. he said after being hit Trump in November. “As Secretary of State, I will work every day to advance his foreign policy agenda. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will deliver peace through strength and always put Americans and America’s interests above all else. I look forward to winning. With the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate, the President is committed to his security to have a national and foreign policy team when he takes office on January 20.”
Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, arrives at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, January 15, 2025, in Washington.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously on Monday to advance Rubio’s nomination to the Senate floor, 22 to 0, and Idaho Sen. James Risch, the committee’s chairman, said he expected Rubio’s nomination to be called before the full Senate. then on monday
On Monday the State Department was preparing for his first full day as America’s top diplomat.
Two State Department officials said assuming all went to plan, Rubio would give a speech on his arrival on Tuesday. He will also meet individually and as a group with the foreign ministers of India, Australia and Japan, the three countries that together with the United States form the “Quad”, a key diplomatic partnership. Countering China’s influence in the Pacific.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he would appoint on January 16 Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Rubio’s Senate vacancy.
