Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, cast his vote in the confirmation hearing for Marco Rubio’s nomination as secretary of state at 10:05 a.m. called Rubio a “great friend” and said Trump made an “excellent choice.”

“Over this time, I have learned to respect his clear understanding of U.S. foreign policy interests and his deeply held conservative values,” Risch said. “We need a principled, action-oriented chief diplomat like Marco.”

Risch noted that America has pressing foreign policy concerns about China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, then criticized the outgoing Biden administration for its handling of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and other foreign conflicts. informed decisions that gave these opponents power.”

“Failure to deter Russian aggression, constant concessions to China and undermining support for Israel – our allies are questioning U.S. resolve and our adversaries believe they have a free hand. “Those days are over,” Risch said thereby underlining his support for Rubio.