Washington, D.C. (Reuters) : Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a strong supporter of Israel and a China hawk, was overwhelmingly confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Monday to serve as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state.
Days after the seasoned member of the Senate intelligence and international relations committees breezed through his cordial confirmation hearing, the Senate voted 99-0 in favor of Rubio.
Hours after Trump was inaugurated in for a second term in office, Rubio became the first of his cabinet choices to be confirmed by the Senate.
This week, further votes on Trump candidates were anticipated.
Rubio, 53, supports Israel and is a scathing critic of China. He has also advocated for harsh actions against the Communist-ruled island and its supporters, particularly the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He is the son of Cuban immigrants.
He pledged a strong foreign policy centered on American interests at his confirmation hearing and cautioned that the United States must alter its direction to prevent being more dependent on China.
Rubio said that ending the war in Ukraine should be U.S. policy. He said that Ukraine would have to give up its objective of reclaiming all the area Russia has acquired over the past ten years in order to achieve a deal to end the conflict, which would require compromises from both Moscow and Kyiv.
Rubio is the first Hispanic individual to hold the position of top diplomat in the country.
Almost immediately after winning his second term on November 5, Trump started unveiling his cabinet choices. Even members of his own Republican party questioned several of his nominees harshly about their backgrounds and credentials, despite his supporters’ demands that the Senate confirm all of his selections as soon as possible.