US Senate confirms Marco Rubio as secretary of state

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By Patricia Zengerle

As part of a Times Square storefront was named as the working locations for the vice president. , The U.S. Senate on Monday agreed unanimously to confirm Marco Rubio as President Donald Trump's secretary of state.

The Senate voted in favor of Rubio, 99-0, just a few days after he smoothly passed a confirmation hearing as a member of the Senate's committees on foreign relations and intelligence.

Rubio was the first of Trump's cabinet nominees to be approved by the Senate, just hours after the president took the oath of office for his second term at the White House.

More votes on Trump's nominees were expected this week.

Rubio, 53, is a stern critic of China and a strong supporter of Israel. The son of Cuban immigrants, he has also advocated for tough measures against the Communist government in Cuba and its allies, particularly the Venezuelan government led by President Nicolas Maduro.

During his confirmation hearing, he cautioned that the United States needs to shift its approach to avoid becoming increasingly dependent on China, and pledged a strong foreign policy centered around America's priorities.

Rubio stated that U.S. policy should aim to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. He suggested that an agreement to cease the fighting would require concessions from both Moscow and Kyiv, and possibly involve Ukraine relinquishing its goal of reclaiming all the territory seized by Russia over the last 10 years.

Rubio is the first Hispanic individual in the nation's history to hold the position of top diplomat.

President Trump started announcing his cabinet picks right after winning the second term on Nov. 5. His supporters had urged the Senate to confirm all of his selections right away, however some of his nominees faced tough questioning about their qualifications and experience from both members of his own party and others.

(Reporting Patricia Zengerle, Simon Lewis, Richard Cowan and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by David Gregorio)