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Confirmation process for Marco Rubio for secretary of state
President-elect Donald Trump (R) announced U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio as his nominee for secretary of state on November 13, 2024. If confirmed, Rubio will be the first Latino U.S. secretary of state.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a confirmation hearing for Rubio on January 15, 2025.[1] The Senate confirmed Rubio on January 20, 2025, by a unanimous vote of 99-0. Click here to read more about the confirmation process.
Trump said of Rubio's nomination, "Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom. He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries."[2]
- Confirmation vote roll call
- Senate confirmation hearing
- Financial disclosures
- About the nominee
- Statements in response to nomination announcement
- About the confirmation process
- Other Trump Cabinet nominees
- Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations
Confirmation process
Confirmation vote roll call
Rubio was confirmed on January 20, 2025, by a vote of 99-0.[3]
| Summary of Senate vote on Marco Rubio's nomination for secretary of state (January 20, 2025) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for | Votes against | Not voting |
 Democrats |
45 | 0 | 0 |
 Republicans |
52 | 0 | 0 |
 Independents |
2 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 99 | 0 | 0 |
There was one vacancy at the time of the vote following Vice President J.D. Vance's (R) resignation.
Senate confirmation hearing
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a confirmation hearing for Rubio on January 15, 2025.[4]
|
Financial disclosures
The Office of Government Ethics released Rubio's financial disclosures in January 2025. Click here to review them.
About the nominee
Born to a family of Cuban immigrants, Rubio was raised in Miami, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended South Miami Senior High School and graduated in 1989. He then attended Tarkio College for one year on a football scholarship from 1989 to 1990, before enrolling at Santa Fe Community College (later renamed Santa Fe College). He earned a B.S. degree from the University of Florida in 1993 and his J.D. degree cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996.[5]
Statements in response to nomination announcement
The section below provides statements from senators in response to Trump's November 13, 2024, announcement of Rubio as his nominee for secretary of state in his second presidential term.
Republicans
| “ | Marco Rubio is a superb appointment to Secretary of State. Well done, Mr. President![6][7] | ” |
| —Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), highest ranking Republican on Senate Foreign Relations Committee | ||
Democrats
| “ | I think Marco Rubio is enormously well-qualified for the job for which he's been nominated. I still want to ask questions, I'm not going to completely prejudge even him, but he's unquestionably qualified.[8][7] | ” |
| —Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) | ||
About the confirmation process
- See also: Appointment confirmation process
The confirmation process includes several rounds of investigation and review, beginning with the submission of a personal financial disclosure report and a background check. The nominee is then evaluated in a committee hearing, which allows for a close examination of the nominee and his or her views on public policy. Supporters and opponents of the nominee may also testify.[9]
Once committee hearings are closed, most committees have a set amount of time before a vote is taken on whether the nominee is reported to the Senate favorably, unfavorably, or without recommendation. The nomination will then go to the Senate floor for consideration. Once the nomination is considered by the Senate, unlimited debate is allowed until a majority of the Senate votes to invoke cloture and close debate. Following a vote of cloture, the Senate conducts a simple majority vote on whether to confirm, reject, or take no action on the nomination.[10]
About the Cabinet
A presidential Cabinet is a group of senior federal officials who advise the president on the issues and activities of their respective agencies. The Cabinet tradition is rooted in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which states that the president "may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices."[11]
While not explicitly identified in the Constitution, the Cabinet secretaries are the 15 agency heads who are in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also part of the Cabinet. These positions, in order of presidential succession, are:
- Vice President
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of the Treasury
- Secretary of Defense
- Attorney General
- Secretary of the Interior
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Secretary of Commerce
- Secretary of Labor
- Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Secretary of Transportation
- Secretary of Energy
- Secretary of Education
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- Secretary of Homeland Security
The number of officials in a Cabinet can vary across presidential administrations. The following additional positions are part of Trump's second term presidential Cabinet:
- White House chief of staff
- Ambassador to the United Nations
- Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- U.S. trade representative
- Director of National Intelligence
- Administrator of the Small Business Administration
- Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
All of the positions above, except for Vice President and White House Chief of Staff, require Senate confirmation.
Other Trump Cabinet nominees
- See also: Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025 and Confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees, 2025
The following table provides an overview of the status, confirmation hearings, and committee and Senate votes for each of Trump's Cabinet and Cabinet-rank nominees in his second term.
| Overview of confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees in his second term | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominee | Position | Announced | Senate committee | Confirmation hearing | Committee vote | Senate vote | Status |
| Marco Rubio | Secretary of State | November 13, 2024 | Foreign Relations | January 15, 2025 | Favorable (22-0) | 99-0 | Confirmed on January 20, 2025 |
| Scott Bessent | Secretary of the Treasury | November 22, 2024 | Finance | January 16, 2025 | Favorable (16-11) | 68-29 | Confirmed on January 27, 2025 |
| Pete Hegseth | Secretary of Defense | November 12, 2024 | Armed Services | January 14, 2025 | Favorable (14-13) | 51-50 | Confirmed on January 24, 2025 |
| Matt Gaetz | Attorney General | November 13, 2024 | Judiciary | N/A | N/A | N/A | Withdrawn on November 21, 2024 |
| Pam Bondi | Attorney General | November 21, 2024 | Judiciary | January 15-16, 2025 | Favorable (12-10) | 54-46 | Confirmed on February 4, 2025 |
| Doug Burgum | Secretary of the Interior | November 14, 2024 | Energy and Natural Resources | January 16, 2025 | Favorable (18-2) | 80-17 | Confirmed on January 30, 2025 |
| Brooke Rollins | Secretary of Agriculture | November 23, 2024 | Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | January 23, 2025 | Favorable (23-0) | 72-28 | Confirmed on February 13, 2025 |
| Howard Lutnick | Secretary of Commerce | November 19, 2024 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 29, 2025 | Favorable (16-12) | 51-45 | Confirmed on February 18, 2025 |
| Lori Chavez-DeRemer | Secretary of Labor | November 22, 2024 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 19, 2025 | Favorable (13-9) | 67-32 | Confirmed on March 10, 2025 |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | Secretary of Health and Human Services | November 14, 2024 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions / Finance |
January 30, 2025 / January 29, 2025 | N/A / Favorable (14-13) | 52-48 | Confirmed on February 13, 2025 |
| Scott Turner | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | November 22, 2024 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 16, 2025 | Favorable (13-11) | 55-44 | Confirmed on February 5, 2025 |
| Sean Duffy | Secretary of Transportation | November 18, 2024 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 15, 2025 | Favorable (28-0) | 77-22 | Confirmed on January 28, 2025 |
| Chris Wright | Secretary of Energy | November 16, 2024 | Energy and Natural Resources | January 15, 2025 | Favorable (15-5) | 59-38 | Confirmed on February 3, 2025 |
| Linda McMahon | Secretary of Education | November 19, 2024 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 13, 2025 | Favorable (12-11) | 51-45 | Confirmed on March 3, 2025 |
| Doug Collins | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | November 14, 2024 | Veterans' Affairs | January 21, 2025 | Favorable (18-1) | 77-23 | Confirmed on February 4, 2025 |
| Kristi Noem | Secretary of Homeland Security | November 12, 2024 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs | January 17, 2025 | Favorable (13-2) | 59-34 | Confirmed on January 25, 2025 |
| Jamieson Greer | U.S. Trade Representative | November 26, 2024 | Finance | February 6, 2025 | Favorable (15-12) | 56-43 | Confirmed on February 26, 2025 |
| Tulsi Gabbard | Director of National Intelligence | November 13, 2024 | Intelligence (Select) | January 30, 2025 | Favorable (9-8) | 52-48 | Confirmed on February 12, 2025 |
| Elise Stefanik | U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | November 11, 2024 | Foreign Relations | January 21, 2025 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | N/A | Withdrawn on March 27, 2025 |
| Michael Waltz | U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | May 1, 2025 | Foreign Relations | July 15, 2025 September 17, 2025 |
Favorable (12-10) Favorable (11-10) |
TBD | Passed committee |
| Russell Vought | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 22, 2024 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | January 15, 2025 / January 22, 2025 | Favorable (8-7) / Favorable (11-0) | 53-47 | Confirmed on February 6, 2025 |
| Lee Zeldin | Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | November 11, 2024 | Environment and Public Works | January 16, 2025 | Favorable (11-8) | 56-42 | Confirmed on January 29, 2025 |
| Kelly Loeffler | Administrator of the Small Business Administration | December 4, 2024 | Small Business and Entrepreneurship | January 29, 2025 | Favorable (12-7) | 52-46 | Confirmed on February 19, 2025 |
| John Ratcliffe | Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | November 12, 2024 | Intelligence (Select) | January 15, 2025 | Favorable (14-3) | 74-25 | Confirmed on January 23, 2025 |
Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations
Comparison to Biden administration
- See also: Joe Biden's Cabinet
The following chart displays how many days it took for the Cabinet secretaries of President Joe Biden (D) to be confirmed after the inauguration in 2021. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.
Comparison to Trump's first term
The following chart displays how many days it took for President Donald Trump's (R) first term Cabinet secretaries to be confirmed after the inauguration in 2017. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.
Comparison to Obama administration
The following chart displays how many days it took for the Cabinet secretaries of President Barack Obama (D) to be confirmed after the inauguration in 2009. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.
List of secretaries of state, 1790-2025
- See also: U.S. Department of State
| Recent Secretaries of State | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State | Years in office | Nominated by | Confirmation vote | |||||
| Madeleine Albright | 1997-2001 | Bill Clinton | 95-0 | |||||
| Colin Powell | 2001-2005 | George W. Bush | Unanimous voice vote | |||||
| Condoleezza Rice | 2005-2009 | George W. Bush | 85-13 | |||||
| Hillary Rodham Clinton | 2009-2013 | Barack Obama | 94-2 | |||||
| John Kerry | 2013-2017 | Barack Obama | 94-3 | |||||
| Rex Tillerson | 2017-2018 | Donald Trump | 56-43 | |||||
| Mike Pompeo | 2018-2021 | Donald Trump | 57-42 | |||||
| Daniel Smith (acting) | 2021-2021 | Joe Biden | N/A | |||||
| Antony Blinken | 2021-2025 | Joe Biden | 78-22 | |||||
| Lisa Kenna (acting) | 2025-2025 | Donald Trump | N/A | |||||
| Historical Secretaries of State | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State | Years in office | Nominated by | Confirmation vote | |||||
| Thomas Jefferson | 1790-1793 | George Washington | N/A | |||||
| Edmund Randolph | 1794-1795 | George Washington | N/A | |||||
| Timothy Pickering | 1795-1800 | John Adams | N/A | |||||
| John Marshall | 1800-1801 | John Adams | N/A | |||||
| James Madison | 1801-1809 | Thomas Jefferson | N/A | |||||
| Robert Smith | 1809-1811 | James Madison | N/A | |||||
| James Monroe | 1811-1817 | James Madison | 30-0 | |||||
| John Quincy Adams | 1817-1825 | James Monroe | 29-1 | |||||
| Henry Clay | 1825-1829 | John Quincy Adams | 27-14 | |||||
| Martin Van Buren | 1829-1831 | Andrew Jackson | N/A | |||||
| Edward Livingston | 1831-1833 | Andrew Jackson | N/A | |||||
| Louis McLane | 1833-1834 | Andrew Jackson | N/A | |||||
| John Forsyth | 1834-1841 | Andrew Jackson | N/A | |||||
| Daniel Webster | 1841-1843 | William Harrison | ||||||
| Abel P. Upshur | 1843-1844 | John Tyler | N/A | |||||
| John C. Calhoun | 1844-1845 | John Tyler | N/A | |||||
| James Buchanan | 1845-1849 | James K. Polk | 47-53 | |||||
| John M. Clayton | 1849-1850 | Zachary Taylor | N/A | |||||
| Daniel Webster | 1850-1852 | Millard Fillmore | ||||||
| Edward Everett | 1852-1853 | Millard Fillmore | ||||||
| William L. Marcy | 1853-1857 | Franklin Pierce | ||||||
| Lewis Cass | 1857-1860 | James Buchanan | ||||||
| Jeremiah S. Black | 1860-1861 | James Buchanan | ||||||
| William H. Seward | 1861-1869 | Abraham Lincoln | ||||||
| Elihu B. Washburne | 1869 | Ulysses S. Grant | N/A | |||||
| Hamilton Fish | 1869-1877 | Ulysses S. Grant | N/A | |||||
| William M. Evarts | 1877-1881 | Rutherford B. Hayes | 44-2 | |||||
| James G. Blaine | 1881 | James Garfield | N/A | |||||
| Frederick T. Frelinghuysen | 1881-1885 | Chester A. Arthur | N/A | |||||
| Thomas F. Bayard Sr. | 1889-1892 | Grover Cleveland | N/A | |||||
| James G. Blaine | 1889-1892 | Benjamin Harrison | N/A | |||||
| John W. Foster | 1892-1893 | Benjamin Harrison | N/A | |||||
| Walter Q. Gresham | 1893-1895 | Grover Cleveland | ||||||
| Richard Olney | 1895-1897 | Grover Cleveland | ||||||
| John Sherman | 1897-1898 | William McKinley | ||||||
| William R. Day | 1898 | William McKinley | ||||||
| John Hay | 1898-1905 | William McKinley | ||||||
| Elihu Root | 1905-1909 | Theodore Roosevelt | N/A | |||||
| Robert Bacon | 1909 | Theodore Roosevelt | N/A | |||||
| Philander C. Knox | 1909-1913 | William Howard Taft | N/A | |||||
| William Jennings Bryan | 1913-1915 | Woodrow Wilson | ||||||
| Robert Lansing | 1915-1920 | Woodrow Wilson | ||||||
| Bainbridge Colby | 1920-1921 | Woodrow Wilson | ||||||
| Charles Evans Hughes | 1921-1925 | Warren G. Harding | ||||||
| Frank B. Kellogg | 1925-1929 | Calvin Coolidge | ||||||
| Henry L. Stimson | 1929-1933 | Herbert Hoover | ||||||
| Cordell Hull | 1933-1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | N/A | |||||
| Edward Stettinius Jr. | 1944-1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 68-1 | |||||
| James F. Byrnes | 1945-1947 | Harry Truman | ||||||
| George Marshall | 1947-1949 | Harry Truman | ||||||
| Dean Acheson | 1949-1953 | Harry Truman | ||||||
| John Foster Dulles | 1953-1959 | Dwight Eisenhower | ||||||
| Christian Herter | 1959-1961 | Dwight Eisenhower | ||||||
| Dean Rusk | 1961-1969 | John F. Kennedy | ||||||
| William P. Rogers | 1969-1973 | Richard Nixon | N/A | |||||
| Henry Kissinger | 1973-1977 | Richard Nixon | 78-7 | |||||
| Cyrus Vance | 1977-1980 | Jimmy Carter | N/A | |||||
| Edmund Muskie | 1980-1981 | Jimmy Carter | 94-2 | |||||
| Alexander Haig | 1981-1982 | Ronald Reagan | 93-6 | |||||
| George P. Shultz | 1982-1989 | Ronald Reagan | 97-0 | |||||
| James Baker | 1989-1992 | George H.W. Bush | 100-0 | |||||
| Lawrence Eagleburger | 1992-1993 | George H.W. Bush | Recess appointment | |||||
| Warren Christopher | 1993-1997 | Bill Clinton | N/A | |||||
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Foreign Relations Committee, "NOMINATIONS," accessed January 13, 2025
- ↑ X, "Karoline Leavitt on November 13, 2024," accessed November 13, 2024
- ↑ Congress.gov, "PN11-13 — Marco Rubio — Department of State," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑ Foreign Relations Committee, "NOMINATIONS," accessed January 13, 2025
- ↑ Marco Rubio-United States Senator for Florida, "Biography-About Marco," accessed October 13, 2011
- ↑ X, "Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member," November 12, 2024
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ NBC New York, "Some Democrats back Trump pick Rubio for secretary of State but remain critical of Hegseth, Gabbard and Gorka," November 24, 2024
- ↑ CRS Report for Congress, "Senate Confirmation Process: An Overview," accessed July 24, 2013
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 4, 2019
- ↑ Constitution Center, "Presidential Advisors," accessed November 18, 2020
