Rubio Unanimously Confirmed To Be Secretary of State, Signaling Quick Confirmation Process for National Security Nominees

Senator Rubio will soon take his oath as the 72nd Secretary of State following a unanimous vote by his Senate colleagues to confirm him late Monday, making him the first of President Trump’s appointees to win his post. Mr. Rubio has said his main priorities as leader of the State Department is ending the war in Ukraine and ensuring a meaningful end to the Israel–Hamas war at Gaza. All 99 currently serving senators voted for Mr. Rubio after a quick confirmation process and a relatively easy confirmation hearing. The one person who did not cast a vote on Monday is the lieutenant governor of Ohio, John Husted, who has been appointed by Governor DeWine to fill out the remainder of Vice President Vance’s term, though Mr. Husted has not yet been sworn in. One former diplomat in the chamber, Senator Kim, announced Monday that he would support Mr. Rubio despite some policy “disagreements.”“Senator Rubio’s qualifications and dedication to serving our country has earned him my vote to be our next Secretary of State,” Mr. Kim said. “In my conversations with Senator Rubio, we had areas of disagreement no doubt, but I found him to be well versed in the deep challenges our nation faces globally.”During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Rubio leaned on his experience as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and as the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee. He told his colleagues that America had been sold a lie in the wake of the Cold War that all nations would move toward the democratic model of governance, and that all people would become global citizens. “Here in America and in many of the advanced economies across the world, an almost religious commitment to free and unfettered trade — at the expense of our national economy — shrunk the middle class, left the working class in crisis, collapsed our industrial capacity, and has pushed critical supply chains into the hands of adversaries and of rivals,” Mr. Rubio said in his opening statement. “An irrational zeal for maximum freedom of movement of people has resulted in the historic mass migration crisis. Here in America … it’s one that threatens the stability of societies and of governments.”Mr. Rubio is the first of many national security appointees to face a vote in the Senate, and it appears that every one of them is on track for confirmation at this point. The nominee to be CIA director, John Ratcliffe, received a vote in favor of his nomination by the Intelligence Committee on Monday night, with only three members of the 17-member panel voting against him. He is likely to be confirmed on Tuesday. The nominees for secretary of homeland security and defense are also set to receive confirmation votes this week. The Pentagon nominee, Pete Hegseth, was praised by Republicans for his performance before the Armed Services Committee last week, and likely has the requisite number of votes to be confirmed. His nomination was reported out of committee favorably, though on a 14–13 party line vote. Governor Noem has not yet faced a vote in committee.

Rubio Unanimously Confirmed To Be Secretary of State, Signaling Quick Confirmation Process for National Security Nominees

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