Rubio Says State Department Focused on Border, Energy, Curbing Censorship

The new secretary of state also promised to reward ‘performance and merit,’ including within the State Department ranks.

President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, testifies before the Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled his key priorities under the new Trump administration on Jan. 22 while vowing to build a more “innovative, nimble, and focused” State Department as part of efforts to advance the national interest.

In a statement, Rubio, formerly a U.S. senator from Florida, said President Donald Trump had given him “a clear direction to place our core national interest as the guiding mission of American foreign policy.”