Marco Rubio, the US Senator from Florida, was unanimously confirmed on Monday as the Secretary of State, making him the first member of President Donald Trump's cabinet 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.
Rubio's pro-India policy
Last July, Rubio had introduced in the US Senate, the first ever India-centric party that proposed to put India at the same level of that of its treaty ally, exempt it from CAATSA sanctions, and imposes sanctions on Pakistan for promoting terrorism in India.
“Communist China continues to aggressively expand its domain in the Indo-Pacific region, all the while it seeks to impede the sovereignty and autonomy of our regional partners. It’s crucial for the US to continue its support in countering these malicious tactics. India, along with other nations in the region, is not alone,” Rubio said after he introduced the US-India Defence Cooperation Act in the Senate.
The bill noted that the US-India partnership is vital to countering influences from Communist China. In order to strengthen this partnership, it is essential to enhance our strategic diplomatic, economic, and military relationship with New Delhi, it asserts.
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