Texas' U.S. Senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, backed the confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominee for the federal secretary of state position on Thursday.
On Thursday, Cornyn and Cruz both cast favorable votes to join a majority of the U.S. Senate to approve Mike Pompeo to become the new U.S. Secretary of State. Pompeo, a native of Kansas, was confirmed for the role and will replace Rex Tillerson. Pompeo's nomination was confirmed in a 57-42 vote, with every voting Republican and six Democrats voting to approve.
Following the vote, Cornyn released a statement, praising Pompeo, while also stating that he supported Pompeo for diplomatic actions that he has identified as already being underway.
"The next Secretary of State will play a vital role in the negotiations in North Korea," Cornyn said. "In fact, as we know now, Mike Pompeo has already taken the initial steps laying the groundwork and the foundation for what we all hope will be a successful negotiation on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
Also, on Thursday, Senators voted to confirm Richard Grenell as the new U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. The Senate voted 56-42 to approve, with Cruz and Cornyn backing the nomination.
Pompeo
Photo by U.S. House