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Rubio, on first day as secretary, tells State Department to put U.S. national interest at center of foreign policy
Summary
On his first day as secretary of state, Marco Rubio thanked Department of State staff and locally employed personnel, named Florida congressional allies in attendance and outlined priorities including centering U.S. national interest, accelerating policy formulation, and preserving core values.
On his first day as U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio thanked Department of State employees and locally employed staff and said the department must shape and execute foreign policy that advances the United States’ national interest.
Rubio told a gathered audience at the Department of State that diplomacy “is the face of the United States” for many people abroad and said the department must be central to how the U.S. designs its foreign policy. "The most experienced diplomatic corps in the history of the world resides in this building," he said, adding that he wants the department to lead on formulation and to execute policies "better and faster" than other agencies.
Rubio’s remarks combined personnel recognition and a policy pitch. He opened by introducing family members who attended and thanked locally employed staff who support missions overseas. He cited “nearly 80,000 strong officers who are serving the Department of State,” praised their work on security and counterterrorism and referenced humanitarian and diplomatic efforts, including a line about having “advanced security in the Middle East” and a past walk across the Simón Bolívar Bridge.
The new secretary framed his priorities in campaign and presidential terms, saying he will pursue a foreign policy “centered on one thing, and that is the advancement of our national interest.” He said the administration’s overriding goal is “the promotion of peace, the avoidance of conflict,” while acknowledging that diplomacy sometimes must choose between imperfect options. "Sometimes in foreign relations, our options are two bad ones, and we're just trying to figure out which one of them is least bad," Rubio said.
Rubio also set expectations for internal changes. He said the department needs to be a "21st century agency" that moves at the "speed of relevance," embraces creativity and bold ideas, and looks ahead to challenges that have "no historic precedent." He said changes will not be "destructive" or "punitive" but intended to make the department faster and more effective.
Several members of Congress from Florida were acknowledged in the audience, including Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, Rep. Lois Frankel and Rep. Brian Mast, whom Rubio thanked for their oversight roles on appropriations and authorizations. A department official welcomed Rubio at the start of the event with the remark, "Mister secretary, welcome to the department. Distinguished mister secretary." Rubio noted that he had been sworn in earlier in the day by the vice president and that he was "new to this department. Today is my first day on the job, literally."
Rubio closed by saying he intends to lead with "integrity" and hard work and asked the department to join him in the mission of promoting U.S. national interests and global stability. He ended his remarks with thanks to staff and to his family in the audience and said, "I was sworn in at about 9:15... and we're ready to go to work."
