Foreign Policy

Rex Tillerson Is Officially Secretary Of State

The Senate confirmed Rex Tillerson 56-43 as the new head of the U.S. State Department.

Rex Tillerson Is Officially Secretary Of State
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Former Exxon head Rex Tillerson is officially the new U.S. secretary of state.

Tillerson was approved 56 to 43, with three Democrats and one Independent joining Republicans in approval.

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The interaction was definitely confrontational but not surprising.

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The vote was unusually close for the position — Tillerson's predecessors easily cleared the 60-vote supermajority threshold.

That's probably because Senate Democrats have faced increasing pressure from their base to reject all of President Donald Trump's nominees.

Tillerson takes the helm at a difficult time for the State Department. Several top-level departures have left holes in the department's leadership structure. 

And more exits might be coming. Over 900 State Department diplomats signed a memo objecting to Trump's immigration ban. White House press secretary Sean Spicer recently suggested that any official who isn't on board with Trump's actions might have to leave their post.