The Senate confirmed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as the 72nd secretary of State on Monday—making him the first member of Trump’s cabinet to be confirmed.
But the best part: It was a unanimous vote, 99-0.
“No one on this body can doubt that Marco Rubio is an intelligent man with remarkable understanding of American foreign policy and a very deep commitment to the American Dream,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in remarks on the Senate floor.
Rubio’s Senate seat will be filled by Florida state Attorney General Ashley Moody.
As the son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio is the first Latino American to serve as top diplomat.
A 14-year veteran of the Senate, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Rubio’s nomination as secretary of State brought relief to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and America’s allies abroad concerned over Trump’s unpredictable and chaotic approach to foreign affairs.
In recent weeks, Trump has expressed interest in acquiring Greenland and reclaiming control of the Panama Canal from Panama. During his inauguration address, Trump emphasized the U.S. as a “growing nation” aiming to expand wealth and territory. He identified retaking the Panama Canal as critical to countering China’s influence, though Panama’s president dismissed claims of foreign control over the canal.
Rubio, during his confirmation hearing, said that the presence of Chinese companies on either side of the canal has raised concern from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and poses a national security risk to the U.S. – in one example of how he is planning to thread the needle of explaining some of Trump’s threats.
“In reality a foreign power today possesses, through their companies – which we know are not independent – the ability to turn the canal into a choke point in a moment of conflict and that is a direct threat to the national interest and security of the United States,” he said.
Rubio has been signaling his plan to counter Beijing’s global ambitions. The day after Trump’s inauguration, he has scheduled key meetings with allies facing Chinese aggression. This includes a bilateral meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and a joint session with the foreign ministers of Japan, Australia, and India, known as the Quad. These ministers attended Trump’s inauguration at the Capitol on Monday.
Rubio has called for making the State Department “highly relevant again,” but it’s unclear how much influence the State Department will have in a Trump administration where the president has appointed a slew of special envoys to take on specific foreign policy challenges.
Trump’s spick for Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, already has a win under his belt by working hand-in-hand with the Biden administration to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. Trump has also appointed a Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, part of his push to end the nearly three-year war.
And Trump has anointed Richard Grenell, his former ambassador to Germany, whose name was floated as a potential secretary of State, for the undefined role of Presidential Envoy for Special Missions.
Now that Rubio is in, who's next?
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