Washington: Hours after US President Donald Trump was sworn in as president, the US Senate unanimously confirmed Republican Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. The Senate backed Rubio by a vote of 99-0.
According to Qatar News Agency, Rubio became the first of Trump's cabinet nominees to be confirmed by the Senate, just hours after the president was sworn in for a second White House term. Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted along party lines to advance Pete Hegseth's nomination for a full Senate vote.
All 14 Republicans on the committee voted in favor of Hegseth, while all 13 Democrats voted against him. Thursday is the soonest that vote would occur in the full Senate unless all 100 members agree to move things along more quickly.