Marco Rubio, the US Senator from Florida, was on Monday unanimously confirmed as the Secretary of State, making him the first member of the Cabinet of President Donald Trump to be confirmed.
Rubio, 53, as a Senator last year had introduced a bill in the Congress that proposed to treat India at par with its allies such as Japan, Israel, Korea, and NATO allies regarding technology transfers and support India in its response to growing threats to its territorial integrity.
The bill also sought to bar Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to have sponsored terrorism against India.
All the existing 99 senators voted in favour of Rubio, including Rubio himself. There is currently one vacancy in the Senate after Vice President J D Vance resigned as the US Senator from Ohio.
A US Senator from Florida since January 3, 2011, Rubio is considered as a hawkish US Senator with regard to China. He is banned from entering China, which sanctioned him twice in 2020.
The top Republican member on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Rubio is the first ever Latino to be the US Secretary of State.
"Senator Rubio is an example of a qualified nominee we think should be confirmed quickly. Earlier today, he was unanimously reported out of committee, with full support from Democrats, and he should be quickly confirmed here on the floor," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor ahead of the voting.
"So today, I will vote yes on Senator Rubio. While I certainly do not agree with many of Senator Rubio's positions, in this instance, it is important for the new Administration to have a Senate-confirmed Secretary of State as soon as possible. So I will vote yes.
"Republicans did the same with Secretary (Hillary) Clinton during the first Obama Administration. It was appropriate then, and it is appropriate now. I will vote yes," he said.
Senator Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed Rubio as the 72nd Secretary of State.
"We're in a time when America faces threats from nearly every corner of the world. It's no secret that hostile powers from China to Russia and from North Korea to Iran have formed an authoritarian axis bent on weakening the United States. We need a principled, action-oriented chief diplomat like Marco Rubio to take them on," he said.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said he and Rubio share many similar views on foreign policy and as a result, have worked closely together in the Senate regarding human rights, the challenges regarding China, and the recent sham election in Venezuela.
"When I met with him earlier this month, I reiterated the need to support Ukraine and strengthen the NATO alliance, my concerns regarding the escalating Russian hybrid attacks in the Baltics and elsewhere in Europe, and the importance of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus succeeding with desperately needed reforms in Bangladesh," he said. -- PTI
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