Senate confirms Marco Rubio as Secretary of State

January 20, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – the U.S. Senate unanimously voted to confirm U.S. Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed Florida Attorney General Ashely Moody (R) to take Rubio's place in the Senate. Despite the great partisan divide that normally characterizes the Senate, Rubio was confirmed by a vote of 99 to 0, becoming the first of President Trump's nominees to be confirmed.

U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) released a statement applauding the move.

"Senate Republicans immediately got to work putting President Donald Trump's cabinet in place with the unanimous confirmation of my friend, Secretary of State Marco Rubio," said Senator Britt. "He will serve as a pillar of President Trump's national security team-implementing the Trump Administration's peace through strength doctrine, supporting our security at home and abroad, and putting America first."

More confirmation votes are expected this week – including some that are more controversial.

"I was proud to support Marco's confirmation, and I look forward to getting the rest of President Trump's team in place quickly," continued Britt. "I am excited to support these individuals, and, upon their confirmation, act as a partner in the Senate to deliver results for hardworking Americans."

Secretary Rubio replaces Antony Blinken as America's top diplomat.

Dozens of senior career diplomats resigned from the State Department at noon on inauguration ay after receiving instructions to do so from President-elect Donald Trump's team.

The forced departures establishes a decisive break from the Biden administration.

The departees include John Bass, the undersecretary for management and acting undersecretary for political affairs, and Geoff Pyatt, the assistant secretary for energy resources.

"It is entirely appropriate for the transition to seek officials who share President Trump's vision for putting our nation and America's working men and women first," a spokesperson for the transition team told reporters. "We have a lot of failures to fix, and that requires a committed team focused on the same goals."

Rubio said the State Department needs to prioritize Trump's "America First" agenda. Rubio promised to make the department "relevant again."

"What has happened over the last 20 years under multiple administrations is the influence of the State Department has declined," Rubio said. "We have to be at that table when decisions are being made, and the State Department has to be a source of creative ideas and effective implementation."

Trump also made waves in diplomatic circles on his first day in office by signing an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the controversial Paris Accords in which the U.S. agrees to lower its emissions while transferring hundreds of billions of dollar to third world countries for them to develop clean energy and as reparations for what the developed world has done to the global climate in 200 years of burning fossil fuels.

Original reporting by the Washington Post contributed to this article.

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