Politics

Senate unanimously confirms Marco Rubio as Secretary of State

Published

2 weeks ago

January 20, 2025

The U.S. Senate has confirmed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio unanimously to become the nation’s next Secretary of State.

The final vote of 99-0 came after an unquestionably smooth confirmation process in a chamber where Rubio served for more than 14 years. In a confirmation hearing last week, the Miami Republican stressed that President-elect Donald Trump will be the one setting foreign policy, but that he will bring a deep commitment to keeping the U.S. in a leadership position on world affairs.

“We have to have alliances. But we have to have alliances with strong, capable partners,” Rubio told Senators last week.

That makes the Miami Republican the first of Trump’s Cabinet picks to take office, making way for a rapid transition. Trump in November nominated Rubio as Secretary of State, elevating a former rival to one of the most important high-profile positions within his Cabinet.

The vote makes Rubio the nation’s first Hispanic Secretary of State, and specifically the first Cuban American. A product of South Florida’s politically active Cubano community, the son of immigrants also brings a more acute focus on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Coming into office days after President Joe Biden’s administration lifted Cuba from a State Sponsors of Terrorism list, Rubio signaled in his confirmation hearings that decision will likely soon be reversed.

U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Hialeah Republican who has known Rubio since both served in the Florida Legislature together, said the Senator will bring with him both an interest in the needs of Florida’s residents and the respect of world leaders.

“Cuba represents a real threat to the U.S.,” he said. “When you have a Russian nuclear submarine, when you have Chinese and Russian military stationed on that island, they are not there to help the Cuban people. They are there to kill people in the U.S.”

But Díaz-Balart also said no one should underestimate the reputation Rubio already boasts around the globe, including in Europe and Africa.

Not all of Rubio’s relationships qualify as friendly. China in 2020 announced sanctions on Rubio and several other Senators amid tension over Hong Kong and the Senators’ frequent criticism of treatment of Uyghur communities by the communist government.

Rubio has also been one of Congress’ sharpest critics of Nicolás Maduro’s government in Venezuela. Frequently using the term “narco-regime,” Rubio holds the same opposition as the current administration that Maduro did not legitimately win re-election last year.

The first orders of business for Rubio will be focused on the East. Already, plans are set for the Secretary of State to meet with foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia this week.

Colleagues praised Rubio ahead of a confirmation vote.

“No one in this body can doubt that Marco Rubio is a very intelligent man with a remarkable understanding of America’s foreign policy and a very deep commitment to the American dream,” said U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican.

“That dream comes from the 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, and that helps explain his love for America and his drive to oppose oppressive autocratic regimes.”

Rubio also earned the praise of Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“Senator Rubio is an example of a qualified nominee we think should be confirmed quickly,” the New York Democrat said.

“Earlier today, he was unanimously reported at a committee with full support from Democrats and he should be quickly confirmed here on the floor. 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 confirm Secretary of State as soon as possible. So I’ll vote ‘yes.’”

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Monday afternoon to unanimously recommend Rubio’s approval. After the full Senate vote, Rubio formally resigned his Senate seat.

The position won’t be vacant for long. Gov. Ron DeSantis last week announced the appointment of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to serve the next two years in Rubio’s place. A Special Election will be held in 2026 concurrent with the Midterm Election cycle, with the winner of that contest serving out the last two years of Rubio’s term.

While Rubio will take his place at Foggy Bottom immediately, numerous Ambassadorships still await review by the Senate. Those include several nominations for Florida individuals who could play a big part in foreign relations during Trump’s first term.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera was nominated to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Panama in the upcoming administration. Windermere lawyer Dan Newlin was picked as U.S. Ambassador to Colombia. Leon Medical Centers co-founder Benjamín León Jr. is expected to become U.S. Ambassador to Spain.

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Politics

Gov. DeSantis teases budget proposals, including tax cuts and Highway Patrol pay hike

Published

16 minutes ago

January 31, 2025

May Greene

‘They’ve done a lot of missions in addition to just the normal stuff. So they deserve that.’

While formal budget and spending proposals aren’t available yet, Gov. Ron DeSantis says they’re coming by the “end of the weekend” as required.

And though he was true to his word when he told a Destin audience that he was “not going to necessarily go into a lot of it” on Friday, DeSantis mentioned some ways he wanted to help people keep more of their money.

On at least one of them, Floridians will be able to make that decision if DeSantis gets his way.

He said that “any taxes we can eliminate” are up for grabs, including a move to “crack down on property taxes in the state” through a constitutional amendment on next year’s ballot.

“Homestead deduction needs to dramatically increase for people,” DeSantis said, given the increasingly high cost of housing driven by “demand” and other factors, including insurance rates.

The administration will “be working over the next year, year and a half to see what we can present for voters to be able to vote in the next election for some major, major property tax limitations and relief,” along with “some other tax stuff.”

Spending will increase in one way, meanwhile, with proposed pay increases for highway patrol troopers pending in light of deployments to the Mexican border.

“They’ve done a lot of missions in addition to just the normal stuff. So they deserve that, and we’re going to make sure that we get that done,” DeSantis said.

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Tom Fabricio measure would keep some complaints against law enforcement, correction officers confidential

Published

47 minutes ago

January 31, 2025

May Greene

Law enforcement officers and correctional officers could have certain complaints lodged against them kept off their records if a new bill filed Thursday passes.

Miami Lakes Republican Rep. Tom Fabricio’s measure (HB 317) would exempt records of any investigations made into complaints against a law enforcement officer or a correctional officer from their personnel file under certain conditions.

Complaints filed against officers would be required to be given under oath and submitted in writing, and if an officer is subject to an interrogation that could lead to disciplinary action, then all information related to the investigation would have to be given to the officer or their representative before any interrogation into the allegations could begin, according to the bill.

That would include the names of the person or persons who filed the complaint, all witness statements, and any supporting evidence such as incident reports, GPS locator information, and video and audio recordings.

Florida statute currently states, “all information obtained pursuant to the investigation by the agency of the complaint is confidential,” and is exempt from public record until the investigation “ceases to be active” or until the agency decides whether to file charges against the officer.

The measure would amend that statute, adding that the officer be “provided a copy of the complaint signed by the complainant under oath before the effective date of the action.”

Current law already allows officers facing disciplinary action the right to address the findings with their respective agency heads before any disciplinary action can be imposed.

However, the new measure would allow such records to be left out of an officer’s personnel file if the investigation into their conduct did not end in disciplinary action. Furthermore, the existence of the investigation would not affect an officer’s ability to be promoted, get a pay raise, or receive a commendation.

Under the bill, the contents of both the complaint and the investigation would remain confidential until a final determination is made by investigators. The bill does not guarantee continued employment for officers under investigation.

The bill would further protect law enforcement and correctional officers protections by establishing penalties against those who make false complaints. Under the bill, someone found guilty of filing a false complaint could be charged with a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

If passed, the bill would become law on July 1.

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Gov. DeSantis ready to ‘get in the game’ of migrant transfers to GITMO

Published

2 hours ago

January 31, 2025

May Greene

President Trump has ordered the Cuba-based detention center to be prepped for full capacity as part of his deportation push.

Saying Guantánamo Bay is a “hell of a lot closer” to Florida than Martha’s Vineyard, Ron DeSantis reiterated interest in sending migrants there in accordance with a Donald Trump executive order.

“I think it’d be a great place, quite frankly, to have criminal aliens,” DeSantis said Friday in Destin, adding that Florida is “going to be able to assist” moving undocumented immigrants to the base in Cuba.

The Governor has made this case all week that the state is a logical launching pad for deportations.

DeSantis posted to social media Wednesday that he’s “happy to send flights from Florida down that way with deportees in tow,” in the wake of Trump saying he’s telling the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to “begin preparing the 30,000 person migrant facility at Guantánamo Bay” for an influx of undocumented immigrants.

“What better state to take advantage of that than the state of Florida,” he told podcaster Dave Rubin Tuesday.

DeSantis also said this week “deputized” state forces who can “make the same decisions” as Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Border Patrol could also “take them back to Haiti or the Bahamas or wherever they are coming from, right on the spot” if they “intercept them on the sea.”

The Trump Executive Order calls “to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States, and to address attendant immigration enforcement needs … in order to halt the border invasion, dismantle criminal cartels, and restore national sovereignty.”

It does not contemplate a state role in extradition or extraterritorial transport.

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