Marco Rubio, a seasoned politician from Florida, has been confirmed as the United States Secretary of State. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination with a unanimous 99-0 vote shortly after President Trump assumed office on January 20. Rubio's appointment marks him as the highest-ranking Hispanic American official in U.S. history.
During his confirmation hearing on January 15, Rubio emphasized his commitment to prioritizing America's core national interests. He stated, “Under President Trump, the top priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States.” He outlined that every policy must answer whether it makes America safer, stronger, or more prosperous.
Rubio has served three terms in the U.S. Senate representing Florida since 2011 and has been influential in foreign policy through his roles in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. His work includes bipartisan legislation on China and efforts to hold the Chinese government accountable for human rights abuses.
In Latin America, Rubio sponsored sanctions against human rights violators in Venezuela and members of the Cuban regime. He also played a key role in reauthorizing the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Before his tenure as a senator, Rubio was a city commissioner in West Miami and speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives. He holds degrees from the University of Florida and the University of Miami School of Law.
Rubio attributes his success to his parents' decision to immigrate from Cuba in 1956, which he believes gave him "the privilege to be born a citizen of the greatest nation in the history of the world."