【中美创新时报2025 年 1 月 20 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）参议院周一迅速确认马可·卢比奥为国务卿，一致投票决定在就职当天将新内阁的第一位成员交给唐纳德·特朗普总统。美联社记者LISA MASCARO 对此作了下述报道。
佛罗里达州共和党参议员卢比奥是特朗普提名的候选人中争议最小的一位，投票结果非常具有决定性，为 99-0。另一位候选人约翰·拉特克利夫担任中央情报局局长，预计也将迅速投票。其他候选人，包括前战斗老兵和福克斯新闻主持人皮特·赫格塞斯担任国防部长，预计将在本周晚些时候采取行动。
“马可·卢比奥是一个非常聪明的人，对美国外交政策有着非凡的理解，”参议院最资深的共和党人、爱荷华州参议员查克·格拉斯利在会议厅开幕时说道。
参议院通常在就职典礼盛大结束后立即召开会议，开始安排新总统的团队，尤其是国家安全官员，这是一种传统。在特朗普的第一个任期内，参议院在第一天就迅速确认了他的国防部长和国土安全部长，而乔·拜登总统的国家情报局局长人选也在他自己的就职典礼当天得到确认。
随着特朗普重返白宫，共和党在国会占据多数席位，尽管最初两党都持怀疑态度和反对态度，但他对外部内阁的选择显然更加到位。
参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩周一迅速采取行动，表示他预计特朗普提名的候选人将“很快”开始投票。
民主党人认为，他们最好被视为更愿意与特朗普合作，而不是简单地对他的提名人进行封锁。他们反对特朗普其他一些支持率较低的人选，包括国家情报总监塔尔西·加巴德和卫生部长疫苗怀疑论者小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪。
参议院民主党领袖查克·舒默表示，他的党“既不会草率批准我们认为完全不合格的提名人，也不会反对值得认真考虑的提名人”。
他说，卢比奥就是一个“我们认为应该迅速确认的合格提名人”的例子。
参议院委员会一直在对十几位内阁提名人举行漫长的确认听证会，本周还会有更多人选。预计几个小组将于周一晚些时候开会，开始投票，将提名人提交参议院全体会议确认。
参议院外交关系委员会周一晚些时候推进了卢比奥的提名。参议院军事委员会和参议院情报委员会分别支持了赫格塞斯和拉特克利夫的提名。
卢比奥是一位深受喜爱的参议员，曾在 2016 年总统竞选期间与特朗普竞争，近年来他与总统的关系更加密切。上周，他出席了外交关系委员会的质询，他在该委员会任职十多年。
如果出任国务卿，卢比奥将成为美国最高外交官，也是第一位担任这一职位的拉丁裔。他出生于迈阿密，父母是古巴移民，长期参与外交事务，特别是在南美洲，并成为中国崛起的鹰派。
在上周的确认听证会上，卢比奥警告了美国与中国“不平衡关系”的后果。虽然他附和特朗普的反全球主义言论，但他也被视为国际主义者，了解美国在全球舞台上参与的力量。
鲁比奥很可能赢得共和党和民主党两党的支持。他将接替即将离任的国务卿安东尼·布林肯，后者表示希望特朗普政府继续推行拜登在中东的政策，以结束加沙战争并帮助乌克兰对抗俄罗斯的提名。
参议院以 53 比 47 的票数分裂，但副总统 JD Vance 的辞职使共和党的多数席位降至 52，直到他的继任者到来。共和党需要几乎所有党员都支持才能克服民主党对提名人的反对。
正如赫格塞斯和其他几位参议员所预料的那样，任何一位参议员的反对都会迫使参议院采取程序性步骤，从而将投票拖延到本周晚些时候。
题图：参议员马可·卢比奥于周一出席了在华盛顿美国国会大厦圆形大厅举行的第 60 届总统就职典礼。Kevin Lamarque/美联社
附原英文报道：
Senate confirms Marco Rubio as secretary of state, giving Trump the first member of his Cabinet
By LISA MASCARO The Associated Press,Updated January 20, 2025
Senator Marco Rubio attended the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington on Monday.Kevin Lamarque/Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate quickly confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary of state Monday, voting unanimously to give President Donald Trump the first member of his new Cabinet on Inauguration Day.
Rubio, the Republican senator from Florida, is among the least controversial of Trump’s nominees and vote was decisive, 99-0. Another pick, John Ratcliffe for CIA director, is also expected to have a swift vote. Action on others, including former combat veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, is expected later in the week.
“Marco Rubio is a very intelligent man with a remarkable understanding of American foreign policy,” Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the senior-most Republican, said as the chamber opened.
It’s often tradition for the Senate to convene immediately after the ceremonial pomp of the inauguration to begin putting the new president’s team in place, particularly the national security officials. During Trump’s first term, the Senate swiftly confirmed his defense and homeland security secretaries on day one, and President Joe Biden’s choice for director of national intelligence was confirmed on his own Inauguration Day.
With Trump’s return to the White House, and his Republican Party controlling majorities in Congress, his outsider Cabinet choices are more clearly falling into place, despite initial skepticism and opposition from both sides of the aisle.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune moved quickly Monday, saying he expected voting to begin “imminently” on Trump’s nominees.
Democrats have calculated it’s better for them to be seen as more willing to work with Trump, rather than simply mounting a blockade to his nominees. They’re holding their opposition for some of his other picks who have less support, including Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said his party will “neither rubber-stamp nominees we feel are grossly unqualified, nor oppose nominees that deserve serious consideration.”
Rubio, he said, is an example of “a qualified nominee we think should be confirmed quickly.”
Senate committees have been holding lengthy confirmation hearings on more than a dozen of the Cabinet nominees, with more to come this week. And several panels are expected to meet late Monday to begin voting to advance the nominees to the full Senate for confirmation.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced Rubio’s nomination late Monday. The Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee, respectively, advanced the nominations of Hegseth and Ratcliffe.
Rubio, a well-liked senator and former Trump rival during the 2016 presidential race, has drawn closer to the president in recent years. He appeared last week to answer questions before the Foreign Relations Committee, where he has spent more than a decade as a member.
As secretary of state, Rubio would be the nation’s top diplomat, and the first Latino to hold the position. Born in Miami to Cuban immigrants, he has long been involved in foreign affairs, particularly in South America, and has emerged as a hawk on China’s rise.
During his confirmation hearing last week, Rubio warned of the consequences of America’s “unbalanced relationship” with China. While he echoes Trump’s anti-globalist rhetoric, Rubio is also seen as an internationalist who understands the power of U.S. involvement on the global stage.
Rubio is likely to win bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats. He would take over for outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has said he hopes the Trump administration continues Biden’s policies in the Middle East to end the war in Gaza and to help Ukraine counter Russian nomination.
The Senate is split 53-47, but the resignation of Vice President JD Vance drops the GOP majority to 52 until his successor arrives. Republicans need almost all every party member in line to overcome Democratic opposition to nominees.
Objection from any one senator, as is expected with Hegseth and several other choices, would force the Senate into procedural steps that would drag voting later into the week.
