Senate confirms longtime Biden confidant Antony Blinken as secretary of state

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Senate has confirmed President Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as secretary of state.

Antony Blinken becomes the third Cabinet member to win approval as the Biden administration forges ahead with a foreign policy intended to reverse former President Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine and restore U.S. global standing.

The 58-year-old Blinken has pledged to be a leading force in the administration’s bid to reframe the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world after four years in which Trump questioned longtime alliances.

He is expected to start work on Wednesday after being sworn in, according to State Department officials.