The US Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm President Joe Biden's nomination of Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a veteran diplomat, to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations.

FILE PHOTO: Linda Thomas-Greenfield attends the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, January 27, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

The Senate approved her nomination by a vote of 78-20, making Thomas-Greenfield the eighth official confirmed to join Biden's cabinet. With Thomas-Greenfield's confirmation, Biden's foreign policy team has mostly taken shape.

US media said the appointment of Thomas-Greenfield, who is African American, reflected Biden's effort to promote diversity among his senior officials.

Thomas-Greenfield, 68, served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs in the State Department from 2013 to 2017.