The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Rex Tillerson’s
nomination as secretary of state, clearing the way for the full Senate
to confirm one of President Donald Trump’s most critical cabinet
choices.
The 11-10 vote fell along party lines with Democrats in
dissent. It came hours after Senator Marco Rubio, who had been the lone
Republican withholding his support, said he would back the nomination of
the former Exxon Mobil Corp. chief executive officer as the nation’s
top diplomat despite concerns over his ties to Russian President
Vladimir Putin and his refusal in his nomination hearing to condemn
human rights abuses in Russia and the Philippines.
Tillerson’s nomination raised fears from Democrats and
Republicans alike for his connections to Putin -- who awarded him his
country’s Order of Friendship in 2013 -- and whether he would be able to
put U.S. interests first after a 41-year career spent at one of the
world’s biggest companies with a financial stake in countries across the
globe.
The committee sent Tillerson’s nomination to the full
Senate, where united support from majority Republicans all but ensures
final approval. Trump has complained about the slow pace of confirmation
for his nominees, with only Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland
Security Secretary John Kelly approved so far. The Senate was expected
to confirm Representative Mike Pompeo as head of the Central
Intelligence Agency later on Monday.
Democrats who opposed Tillerson’s nomination said they
shared Rubio’s concerns on human rights and Russia but were also
disturbed by the 64-year-old nominee’s views on climate change. In his
nomination hearing, the longtime oil industry leader said that while he
believes the threat of climate change requires a global response, he
doesn’t see it “as the imminent national security threat that perhaps
others do.”
Before the vote on Monday, Democrats also said they
were concerned about Tillerson’s statement that he would recuse himself
from matters related to Exxon during his first year as secretary and
rely on guidance from the State Department’s ethics office after that.
“In
the end, I just had too many concerns and questions about the kind of
leadership he would provide at the state department to feel comfortable
voting for him,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat.
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