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Blinken, a longtime associate of Biden, was approved by a vote of 78-22.
His confirmation has been well received by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as well as the U.S. Foreign Service Professional Association.
“The leadership of the State Department, the oldest cabinet agency in our country, is a big responsibility,” the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) said in a statement. “As we did with his predecessors, AFSA sends its congratulations and welcomes Secretary Blinken. We wish the Secretary and his team the best of luck in the years to come. AFSA and its members are committed to working alongside them to strengthen the career of the Foreign Service and protect and strengthen the institution of American diplomacy. “
The 71st Secretary of State faces the challenge of restoring America’s position in the world and reinvigorating a department where many felt demoralized under the previous administration.
He will also be at the forefront of leading a sharp shift from “America First” foreign policy to multilateralism and coalition politics.
He was pressed on Iran and its efforts to join the Iran nuclear deal. Although Blinken has made it clear that the Biden administration believes the world is a safer place with the Iran nuclear deal in place, he did not provide details on Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reinstatement plans ( JCPOA), which the Trump administration withdrew in 2018.
“The president-elect believes that if Iran comes back into compliance, so will we,” Blinken said during his hearing the day before the inauguration last week. “But we would use that as a platform with our allies and partners who would be on the same side with us again, to seek a longer and stronger deal. And also, as you and the President rightly pointed out , to capture those other issues, especially with regard to missiles and Iran’s destabilization activities. That would be the goal. “
“Having said that, I think we’re a long way from it, we’ll have to see once the president-elect takes office what steps Iran is actually taking and is ready to take,” Blinken said.
Regarding China, he admitted that President Donald Trump “was right to take a harsher approach towards China”.
“I totally disagree with the way he did it in a number of areas, but the basic premise was right, and I think it’s really useful for our foreign policy.” , Blinken said.
He pledged to restore the agency he now heads, saying he was “determined to advance our security and prosperity by building a diplomatic corps that fully represents America in all of its talent and diversity.” .
And where his predecessor Mike Pompeo pledged to bring “swagger”, Blinken called for “humility and confidence”.
“Humility because we have a lot of work to do at home to improve our position abroad. And humility because most of the world’s problems are not about us, even if they affect us. None of the great challenges we face can be met by a country acting alone – even a country as powerful as the United States, “he said.” But we will also act with confidence that America has its best always has a greater capacity than any country on earth to mobilize others for the greater good. “
CNN’s Nicole Gaouette and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.
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