Washington – The US Senate confirmed Rex Tillerson Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state.
The upper chamber of Congress approved the nominee for top diplomat 56-43 on a largely party-line vote after contentious confirmation hearings focused on Tillerson’s ties to Russia while the chief executive of oil giant ExxonMobil.
The confirmation fills another high-profile cabinet post as Democrats have sought to stall the Republican president’s government with procedural actions in the committees that nominees must clear before their final confirmation votes. Four Democrats broke with their party to support Tillerson.
Questions about Russia and Tillerson’s relations with the country took center-stage during Tillerson’s confirmation hearing last month amid allegations that Russia meddled in the US presidential election.
Rex Tillerson during his confirmation hearings on January 11. He was confirmed by the full Senate on Wednesday. (Credit Image: © Christy Bowe/Globe Photos via ZUMA Wire)
Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Russia is “clearly an unfriendly adversary,” but refused to label President Vladimir Putin a war criminal.
Several other Trump cabinet picks also advanced Wednesday.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senator Jeff Sessions’ nomination as attorney general in a party-line vote 11-9, with all Republicans supporting the nominee and all Democrats opposing him
Lawmakers opposed to his nomination voiced concern the long-time Trump supporter will not act independently in his role as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. The full Senate must now approve the nomination.
There has been increased attention on Sessions after Trump fired the acting attorney general following her refusal this week to defend his controversial executive order on immigration.
The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday approved would-be Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price and Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin after Democrats had held up the process by boycotting a scheduled vote a day earlier.
The nomination of another Trump pick, would-be Education secretary Betsy DeVos also looked in jeopardy Wednesday with two Republican senators saying they would vote against her.
DeVos, an advocate of privately run charter schools, has drawn vocal opposition from teachers’ unions and left-wing activists.
The White House has denounced Democratic efforts to stall the nominations, with spokesman Sean Spicer saying they were “doing their constituents and our country a disservice by resorting to these childish tactics.”
-dpa
