With confirmation virtually assured, Rubio can now vote against Tillerson’s nomination without sinking it, if that’s what he wants to do.
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In its vote, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee split along party lines, with all 11 Republicans voting in favour and all 10 Democrats against.
Several senators, Republican and Democratic, had expressed opposition to Tillerson’s nomination ahead of Monday’s vote. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also tweeted he would vote “no” in today’s meeting.
He raised eyebrows among LGBT rights advocates when he declined to specifically say whether “gay rights are human rights” in response to a question that Coons asked.
While they cast Tillerson was an accomplished businessman and deal-maker, Democrats questioned whether he could successfully shift to government diplomacy work. Cardin said Monday he could not vote for Tillerson because he seemed to prioritize “narrow business interests” over broader US goals and values.
The decision appears to ensure that Tillerson will get a “favorable” recommendation from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
This is a very worrying sign for those who hoped more traditional Republicans in Congress would be a bulwark against some of Trump’s more extreme policies. Freedom to Work, an LGBT advocacy group, alleged in a 2013 complaint that the company showed bias against prospective employees who were gay.
The Florida Republican voiced serious concerns about Tillerson during his confirmation hearing, repeatedly chastising him for refusing to use derogatory terms like “war criminal” or “human rights violator” to describe the leaders of Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia.
At his senate confirmation hearing, he was questioned on his lobbying to remove sanctions on Russian Federation following its annexation of the Crimea peninsula in Ukraine, and was also asked for his views about Russia’s war crimes in Syria.
McCain and Graham released a joint statement saying they will back the former ExxonMobil chief executive. Even if Rubio had chosen to vote against the nominee, he would have needed at least two other Republicans to join him in dissent, in addition to all the Senate Democrats, to prevent Tillerson’s nomination.
“Despite my reservations, I will support Mr Tillerson’s nomination in committee and in the full Senate, ” said Mr Rubio.
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Tillerson’s “clear-eyed understanding” of threats posed by Putin’s Russia, NATO alliance commitment, and respect for US leadership in “multilateral initiatives”, and support for world-wide development programs were all things Coons called encouraging, but ultimately, not enough.
