The Senate on Monday immediately confirmed Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, voting unanimously to give President Donald Trump the first member of his new Cabinet on Inauguration Day.
Rubio, the Republican senator from Florida, is the least controversial of Trump’s nominees, and the vote was decisive 99-0. Another selection for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, is also expected to get a fast vote. The arraignment on others, including former combat veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, is expected to take place later this week.
“Marco Rubio is a very intelligent man with a remarkable understanding of American foreign policy,” Chuck Grassley, the most senior Republican senator, said as the chamber opened.
It is often tradition that the Senate begins appointing the new president’s team, particularly national security officials, immediately following the inauguration ceremony. During Trump’s first term, the Senate rapidly confirmed his Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security on their first day in office. Former President Joe Biden’s choice for director of national intelligence was confirmed on his inauguration day.
With Trump’s return to the White House and his Republican Party controlling the majority in Congress, despite initial skepticism and opposition from both sides of the aisle, his external Cabinet choices are becoming more clearly narrowed down.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune moved immediately on Monday, saying he expected voting on Trump’s nominees to begin “immediately.”
Democrats have calculated that it is better for them to be seen as more willing to work with Trump, rather than merely blockade their candidates. They are voicing their opposition to some of his other picks who have less support, including Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his party “will neither rubber-stamp nominees whom we believe are grossly unqualified nor oppose candidates who deserve serious consideration.” “
Rubio, he said, “is an example of a qualified nominee who we think should be confirmed quickly.”
Senate committees are holding lengthy confirmation hearings on more than a dozen Cabinet nominees, and more are coming this week. And several panels were expected to meet late Monday to begin voting on whether to advance the nominees to the full Senate for confirmation.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced Rubio’s nomination late Monday. The Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee advanced the nominations of Hegseth and Ratcliffe, respectively.
Rubio, a popular senator and Trump’s former rival during the 2016 presidential race, has grown closer to the president in recent years. He appeared last week to answer questions before the Foreign Relations Committee, where he has spent more than a decade as a member.
As Secretary of State, Rubio will be the nation’s top diplomat and the first Latino to hold that position. Born in Miami to Cuban immigrants, he has long been involved in foreign affairs, particularly in South America, and has emerged as a supporter of China’s rise.
During his confirmation hearing last week, Rubio warned about the consequences of the US’s “unbalanced relationship” with China. While he echoes Trump’s anti-globalist rhetoric, Rubio is also seen as an internationalist who understands the power of American involvement on the global stage.
Rubio will replace outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has said he hopes the Trump administration will continue Biden’s policies in the Middle East, including ending the war in Gaza and helping Ukraine counter the Russian nomination.
The Senate is divided 53-47, but the resignation of Vice President J.D. Vance leaves the GOP majority at 52 pending the arrival of his successor. Republicans need nearly every party member to overcome Democratic opposition to the candidates.
Objection from any one senator, as is expected with Hegseth and several other options, would force the Senate to take procedural steps that would delay a vote until later in the week.