Serving as Secretary of State is a remarkable honor. Thrilled to address State Department personnel–who represent the greatest, most effective, talented, and experienced diplomatic corps in history. As Secretary, I want to ensure the Department is conducive to creativity, boldness, and new ideas as we work together to build a better future for our next generation. - Secretary of State Marco Rubio | U.S. Department of State

"The last 30 days serving as Secretary has reconfirmed my view that there’s a lot of work to be done to realign the State Department's work with America's national interest. Our foreign policy needs to be about first defining what our national interest is and then ensuring everything we do, every dollar we spend, every program we operate, and every word we say is in furtherance of the national interest." – Secretary of State Marco Rubio | U.S. Department of State

Secretary Rubio at an end of year press availability: The Secretary of State is not its own government. Neither is the State Department. Our job is to implement the president's foreign policy and provide counsel and ideas to strengthen our nation. That is the way our Constitution works and that is the job I am proud to do. | U.S. Department of State