![Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown speak on a panel in 2016. [Nick Castele / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e4c635e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1406+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F3%2F13%2F2016portmanbrown.jpg)
Reaction to Tuesday’s shakeup in the State Department broke along party lines for Ohio’s two senators. President Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nominated CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.
Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown responded with skepticism.
“Turnover in the White House is making it harder and harder for U.S. allies abroad to take us seriously, and we need to staff up our State Department and install a Secretary of State who’ll work with our allies to hold Russia and North Korea accountable,” Brown said in a statement. “I have serious concerns over whether Mike Pompeo is the right person for the job.”
Speaking on CNBC, Republican Sen. Rob Portman called Pompeo a “good pick” to lead the department, saying the CIA director has a good relationship with President Trump.
I want to thank Sec. Tillerson for his service to our country and for his work to strengthen ties with our allies. Director Pompeo is well regarded and I look forward to working with him.
— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) March 13, 2018
Portman serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which expects a hearing on Pompeo’s nomination in April.
