Washington, Jan 21 (PTI) Marco Rubio, the US Senator from Florida, was on Monday unanimously confirmed as the Secretary of State, making him the first member of the Cabinet of President Donald Trump 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.

“We’re in a time when America faces threats from nearly every corner of the world. It’s no secret that hostile powers – from China to Russia and from North Korea to Iran — have formed an authoritarian axis bent on weakening the United States. We need a principled, action-oriented chief diplomat like Marco Rubio to take them on,” he said. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said he and Rubio share many similar views on foreign policy and as a result, have worked closely together in the Senate regarding human rights, the challenges regarding China, and the recent sham election in Venezuela.

“When I met with him earlier this month, I reiterated the need to support Ukraine and strengthen the NATO alliance, my concerns regarding the escalating Russian hybrid attacks in the Baltics and elsewhere in Europe, and the importance of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus succeeding with desperately needed reforms in Bangladesh,” he said.

Senator Chuck Grassley said no one in the Senate can doubt that Rubio is a very intelligent man with a remarkable understanding of American foreign policy and a very deep commitment to the American dream.

“That dream comes from that fact that his family has a history that started with the immigration to the United States from Cuba, and then watching their former homeland fall into a communist dictatorship that still exists to this day,” he said.

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.

Among other things, the bill proposed a statement of policy that the US will support India in its response to growing threats to its territorial integrity, provide necessary security assistance to India to deter adversaries, and cooperate with India with respect to defence, civil space, technology, medicine, and economic investments.

It proposed exemption for India from CAATSA sanctions for purchases of Russian equipment that are currently used by the Indian military; and set a sense of Congress that expeditious consideration of certifications of letters of offer to sell defence articles, defence services, design and construction services, and major defence equipment to India is consistent with US interests and it is in the interest of peace and stability India to have the capabilities needed to deter threats.

The Rubio bill proposed to treat India as if it were of the same status as US allies such as Japan, Israel, Korea, and NATO allies regarding technology transfers; authorise the Secretary of State to enter into a memorandum of understanding with India to increase military cooperation; expedite excess defence articles to India for two years and grant India the same status as other allies; and expand International Military Education and Training Cooperation with New Delhi.

It also required a report to Congress on Pakistan’s use of offensive force, including through terrorism and proxy groups, against India; and bar Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to have sponsored terrorism against India. PTI LKJ GSP GSP