The Senate quickly confirmed former Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State on Monday with a unanimous vote, giving President Donald Trump the first member of his new cabinet on inauguration day.
Marco Rubio, a former Republican senator from Florida, is among President Trump's least controversial nominees, and the vote was a decisive 99-0. President Trump's nominee for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, is also expected to be approved in a quick vote.
Votes on other appointments, including former war veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, are expected later this week.
"Marco Rubio is a very intelligent man with an extraordinary knowledge of American foreign policy," said Republican Senator Chuck Grassley at the opening of the Senate vote.
It is often tradition for the Senate to convene immediately after the inauguration ceremony to begin confirming the new president's cabinet members, especially national security officials. During President Trump's first term, the Senate quickly confirmed his nominees for Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Homeland Security on his first day in office.
Former President Joe Biden's nominee for director of national intelligence was confirmed on his inauguration day.
With President Trump back in the White House and his Republican Party in control of Congress, his cabinet members are expected to be approved without major difficulties, despite initial skepticism and opposition from lawmakers from both parties. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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