The Senate confirmed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla. ) as the 72nd secretary of State on Monday—making him the second part of Trump’s government to be confirmed.
But the best part : It was a unanimous ballot, 99-0.
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“No one on this system can doubt that Marco Rubio is an intelligent man with extraordinary knowledge of American foreign policy and a very strong dedication to the American Dream, ” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa ) said in remarks on the Senate floor.
Rubio’s Senate seats may be filled by Florida state Attorney General Ashley Moody.
As the child of Caribbean immigrants, Rubio is the first Latino American to function as best minister.
A 14-year senior of the Senate, part of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Rubio’s election as secretary of State brought comfort to politicians on both sides of the aisle and America’s allies worldwide concerned over Trump’s uncertain and turbulent method to foreign matters.
In recent months, Trump has expressed interest in acquiring Greenland and usurping power of the Panama Canal from Panama. During his opening target, Trump emphasized the U. S. as a “growing state ” aiming to increase wealth and country. He identified retaking the Panama Canal as vital to countering China ’s effect, though Panama’s leader dismissed claims of international control over the river.
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Rubio, during his confirmation hear, said that the reputation of Chinese firms on either side of the canal has raised concern from politicians on both sides of the aisle, and poses a national security risk to the U. S. – in one instance of how he is planning to string the needle of explaining some of Trump’s challenges.
“ In fact a foreign power now possesses, through their companies– which we know are never separate – the ability to change the waterway into a drown point in a moment of conflict and that is a clear threat to the federal 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.
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Now that Rubio is in, who’s next?
