Former U.S. senator from Florida Marco Rubio jumps into new role as secretary of state with flurry of phone calls, planned trip to Panama.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been rising for some time now, and Rubio's appointment has widely been seen as a sign that Trump plans to maintain a hard line on China during his second term. One of the most outspoken China hawks in Washington, Rubio has introduced several bills targeting the Chinese Communist Party.

The Senate has confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary of state, giving President Donald Trump the first member of his Cabinet. The vote was unanimous.

Full USA TODAY news coverage of Marco Rubio, the former Florida senator who now serves as the U.S. Secretary of State in Donald Trump's cabinet.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is promising to implement Donald Trump’s “America First” vision as secretary of state

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Protesters interrupted the Senate confirmation hearing for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be secretary of state. Sen. Rubio was disrupted multiple times while giving his opening statement ...

He was also a candidate in the 2016 GOP presidential primary race, where Trump dubbed him "Little Marco" and Rubio warned voters not to support Trump, saying "friends do not let friends vote for con artists." More about Rubio: He would be the first Latino ...

The US Senate unanimously approved Marco Rubio as secretary of state on Monday, putting the fellow senator on the front line of President Donald Trump's often confrontational diplomacy. Rubio ...

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who was tapped by President-elect Trump for Secretary of State, testified Wednesday morning before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a confirmation hearing.

WASHINGTON — For Marco Rubio, the easy part is over. He was confirmed by the Senate as secretary of state with unanimous support, Democrats joining Republicans in praising his acumen and judgment.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sent an order to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts instructing a pause on "all new obligations of funding, pending a review, for foreign assistance programs ...