U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Sen. Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state has somewhat reassured U.S. development advocates that the incoming administration will not be entirely hostile to foreign assistance.
Rubio, a three-term Republican senator from Florida and the son of Cuban immigrants, has a record of support for U.S. global engagement, foreign assistance programs that further economic and national security, and U.S. aid reforms aimed at diversifying development partnerships.
In a statement on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday, he wrote that Rubio “will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.”
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About the authors
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is a Senior Reporter at Devex where she covers development finance, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development and authors the weekly Devex Invested newsletter bringing the latest news on the role of business and finance in addressing global challenges. A journalist with more than 10 years of experience, she has worked at several newspapers in the U.S. and lived in both Ghana and South Africa.
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
