Blinken to be next secretary of state
WASHINGTON – The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Antony Blinken to be the nation’s 71st secretary of state on Tuesday as lawmakers scrambled to approve President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees before impeachment proceedings begin against his predecessor.
In a strong show of bipartisan support, the final Senate tally was 78 to 22 and included “yes” votes from several top Republicans.
“Mr. Blinken has a long and distinguished history when it comes to statecraft and foreign relations matters,” said Idaho Sen. James Risch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Certainly, he is very qualified for this job.”
Blinken will become America’s top diplomat as the world confronts a confluence of threats: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and a greatpower competition that increasingly pits the United States against China on trade, technology and other issues.
“He is the right person to repair and restore our alliances, to rebuild and renew the State Department,” said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who will soon become chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Blinken will be charged with unraveling much of former President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, which made even some of his most ardent Republican supporters squeamish. Trump alienated U.S. allies and embraced some of the world’s most brutal dictators, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump also withdrew from international agreements on arms control, climate change and trade.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., emerged as Blinken’s most vocal opponent. A libertarian who has long opposed U.S. military intervention, Paul suggested Blinken would lead the country into more messy foreign entanglements.
“Mr. Blinken has been a full-throated advocate of military intervention in the Middle East for 20 years,” Paul said Tuesday on the Senate floor, citing Blinken’s support for the U.S. military’s role in Iraq, Libya and Syria.
Blinken has worked with Biden on foreign policy issues for nearly two decades.
He was Biden’s staff director on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for six years, starting in 2002.
When Biden became vice president, Blinken became his national security director – before President Barack Obama elevated him to higher positions, including the No. 2 job at the State Department.
In other developments:
● Biden’s pick to oversee the Commerce Department took a tough line on China in her confirmation hearing Tuesday, though she stopped short of singling out which Chinese companies should remain on a list that limits their access to advanced U.S. technology.
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, a former venture capitalist, appeared before a Senate panel Tuesday. If confirmed as expected, she would be responsible for promoting opportunities for economic growth domestically and overseas.
● Janet Yellen was sworn in as the nation’s 78th treasury secretary and the first woman to hold the office.