The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) as the nation’s next secretary of state. Newly elected Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was one of three Senators who cast his vote against confirmation. Cruz explained his opposition in a statement shortly after:
“I was compelled to vote no on Senator Kerry’s nomination because of his longstanding less-than-vigorous defense of U.S. national security issues and, in particular, his long record of supporting treaties and international tribunals that have undermined U.S. sovereignty,” he said. “Now that he has been confirmed, I look forward to working with him in the years to come, hopefully, to protect our interests and preserve U.S. sovereignty.”
