The Senate unanimously voted to confirm former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as President Trump's secretary of state. CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion reports from Capitol Hill.

Donald Trump is preparing to take office after defeating Kamala Harris in the U.S. Presidential election.

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Marco Rubio has been confirmed as the Secretary of State, following a unanimous vote by the U.S. Senate. The vote was 99 to 0, indicating strong bipartisan support for Rubio. Prior to this, he was also unanimously confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In his remarks following the confirmation, Rubio expressed gratitude and acknowledged the honor of being chosen for the role. He noted his commitment to addressing international issues, including the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Rubio refrained from setting a timetable for the resolution of the Ukraine situation but affirmed that it remains a priority under President Trump's administration.

In other political appointments, John Ratcliffe has been advanced by committee for the position of CIA director and is expected to receive a full Senate vote soon. Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth, nominated for Defense Secretary, faces a more controversial confirmation process due to past allegations, which he has denied.



Senate unanimously confirms Marco Rubio as secretary of state

Let's go to Capitol Hill and congressional correspondent Nicole Kelly and Nicole catches up to speed on all of the Confirmation happenings that have been going on Well as you noted at the top of the broadcast the big headline is that Marco Rubio has been confirmed as Secretary of State and not only confirmed but confirmed unanimously and in a bipartisan vote 99 to 0 was the final tally he was also confirmed unanimously out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee prior to that full-floor vote In fact Rubio gaggled with reporters not too long ago and said that it is a great honor He said that he feels hopefully people voted for him because they think that he would do a good job He also opined a little bit about you know, leaving the Senate Obviously as he makes this transition to be the top diplomat saying that he will miss the relationships here He was asked about some of the current global crises of that are occurring Including this new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. He said that it presents a pretty unique situation and talked a little bit about Hoping that both sides continue to comply by the agreement so that it can be carried out in full He also was asked about the timetable for ending the war in Ukraine Of course, President Trump has made that a priority and has said at times that he would end it You know on day one, but obviously that war between Russia and Ukraine continues Rubio saying that he is not going to put any kind of timetable on when the conflict may end But reiterating that it certainly remains a top goal of the new president And in addition to that, of course, there were a couple of other key Nominees who were voted out of committee this evening that includes John Ratcliffe who is President Trump's Pick for CIA director. We thought we could get a full confirmation vote on his nomination tonight But instead it was just voted out of committee But is expected to advance on the Senate floor pretty swiftly at some point this week Also, another notable name is Pete Hegseth Of course the president's pick for Defense Secretary as you know because we've been covering for some time his nomination Especially has been more controversial given some of the allegations that he has faced around sexual assault Which he has denied financial mismanagement from this time leading to a nonprofit veterans organizations, of course during his confirmation hearing just last week some of those issues came up, but again the Defense secretary nominee kind of defended his conduct and again denied any wrongdoing So at this point in terms of that vote out of the Senate Armed Services Committee tonight It was strictly on party lines, which is important to note the chair of that committee Roger wicker telling reporters this evening that he is hopeful that his Confirmation a vote can advance on the Senate floor later this week potentially maybe towards the end of this week But obviously that is one where they will have to do a whip count and make sure they have the votes before proceeding I would note Susan Collins who is considered a swing vote, you know from Maine She has indicated that she has not made a decision yet about whether or not she will support his confirmation. So ultimately You know She is certainly one to watch and we will have to see how that vote count Advances as we get into this week Nicole Kellyanne appreciate you

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Beirut

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London

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Madrid

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Tehran

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