U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken  (credit: U.S. State Department)

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The Senate confirmed Antony Blinken as the new secretary of state in the Biden administration on Tuesday. Blinken vowed to restore American leadership on the world stage and work for the “greater good” during his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.   “Humility and confidence should be the flip sides of America’s leadership coin,” he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Blinken  resumes  a career at the State Department, where he served during the Clinton and Obama administrations. His career in public service follows in the steps of his father and uncle, who served as U.S. ambassadors.  Blinken was approved by the Senate with a vote of 78-22.  

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is sworn in as the 71st U.S. Secretary of State by Acting Under Secretary of State for Management Carol Z. Perez at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on January 26, 2021. (Photo credit:State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha)

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and exclusive bargaining agent of the United States Foreign Service, welcomed the Senate’s confirmation of Blinken as the nation’s 71st Secretary of State:

“Leadership of the Department of State, our nation’s oldest cabinet agency, represents a great responsibility. As we have done for his predecessors, AFSA extends our congratulations and welcome to Secretary Blinken. We wish the Secretary and his team the best of luck in the years ahead. AFSA and its members pledge to work alongside them to strengthen the career Foreign Service and protect and enhance the institution that is American diplomacy.”

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo departs the Harry S. Truman Building in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2021. (State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha)