Name: Takeaways From Rubio's Testimony at Senate Budget Hearing
Uploaded: 2025-05-21T04:17:25.000Z
Description: Rubio reiterated Trump’s America-First policy during Tuesday's hearing.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday defended the Trump administration’s reorganization of the department and approach toward foreign policy during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Here are some key takeaways from Rubio's testimony on Capitol Hill:
<h2>The Budget</h2>
Rubio outlined the fiscal 2026 budget request for the State Department.

“This budget, totaling $28.5 billion, will allow the Department to fulfill its mission while also proposing the rescission of $20 billion in duplicative, wasteful, and ideologically driven programs,” Rubio <a href="https://x.com/StateDept/status/1924828367406182450">told</a> senators in his opening remarks.

The rescissions align with President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting mission to slash waste, fraud, and abuse in the indebted federal government.

Consistent with the President's executive order, Rubio said, the State Department has been reviewing more than 15,000 foreign aid awards. It has already found billions of dollars that have been diverted to ideological causes such as climate change activism and diversity initiatives in foreign countries, according to the secretary.

Trump on Jan. 20 ordered a 90-day program-by-program review of which foreign assistance programs deserved to continue. The State Department is already moving forward with plans to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by July.
<h2>Reorganization</h2>
Rubio said that the department-wide reorganization that he announced last month is reflected in the 2026 budget request.

“A core principle of this reorganization is the belief that what matters is not the size of budgets but the agility with which they can be deployed,” he <a href="https://statedept.substack.com/p/statement-before-the-senate-committee-on-foreign-relations">told</a> the Senate panel.

Part of the reorganization is the new America First Opportunity Fund, or A1OF, a $2.9 billion flexible account that consolidates “fragmented” and “inefficient” foreign assistance programs. The fund will allow the State Department to respond rapidly to crises and engage proactively with critical partners, Rubio said.

Rubio also told lawmakers that the State Department had to change because it has been overly bureaucratic and not getting anything done.

"I’m telling you, [the State Department] was no longer at the center of American foreign policy,” Rubio said. “It had often been replaced by the National Security Council or some other agency of government when in fact, we have these highly talented people—many of whom have served in multiple posts around the world, and have a holistic view of how foreign policy needs to be conducted—that were being edged out.”

World events move quickly, Rubio added, so the Department needs to move at the pace of relevance. Moving forward, Rubio said he plans to give regional bureaus and embassies more decision-making power in their operations so that nothing gets lost in red tape.
<h2>Foreign Policy</h2>
Rubio reiterated Trump’s America-First policy during Tuesday's hearing.

The State Department has secured the NATO Secretary General's commitment for increased defense spending, reset U.S. political and economic relations to serve American interests, and moved to end the Ukraine war, Rubio said.

Panel chairman Sen. Jim Risch (R-Id.) praised Rubio and the Trump administration for tackling foreign policy challenges, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and competition with China. Risch also acknowledged the administration's successes with the release of American hostages captured by Hamas and a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

In regards to Russia, ranking member Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told Rubio that the United States needs to put more pressure on Russia to get the country to the negotiating table.

“The more time [President Vladimir Putin] gets without additional pressure on Russia, the more incentive he's got to continue to gain territory and continue to play for time," Shaheen said.

Rubio responded by saying that Trump is just trying to end the war and Shaheen agreed that everyone agrees that the conflict must end.

Shaheen also argued that Trump’s tariffs have negatively impacted American households. The tariffs will cost the American household $2,800 each year, according to Shaheen. Rubio defended Trump’s tariffs, saying that the Trump administration is changing America's trade relationship with the world through pro-growth tariffs to balance trade and raise revenue.

Rubio also defended Trump's America First policy when Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) criticized the State Department for revoking student visas over pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, like for Tufts University student <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/international-student-at-tufts-university-detained-by-immigration-authorities-5831548">Rumeysa Ozturk</a>.

"About the student visas, let me say this. I don’t deport anybody and I don’t snatch anybody. The State Department does not have officers in the streets snatching everybody. What I do is revoke visas. And it’s very simple. A visa is not a right. It is a privilege," Rubio said.

On the topic of tackling illegal immigration, Rubio asserted that the United States has deepened partnerships with Mexico, El Salvador, and other countries to dismantle foreign terrorist organizations such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua and secure the nation's borders under Trump's leadership.

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