Rubio defends foreign policy overhaul, faces bipartisan criticism over refugee policy, Russia, and aid cuts

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday defended the Trump administration’s controversial foreign policy direction and cuts to diplomatic funding during his first appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since taking office.

Facing bipartisan criticism, including from former Senate colleagues who once supported his confirmation but now question his independence from President Donald Trump, Rubio rejected claims that the administration is retreating from global engagement.

He insisted that the proposed changes, including a $20 billion rescission in funding, were intended to streamline and not dismantle American foreign policy.

Rubio told the committee “this is not about withdrawing from the world,” pointing to his international travel since assuming the post in January as evidence of continued diplomatic engagement.

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“I just hit 18 countries in 18 weeks,” Reuters quoted Rubio as saying. “That doesn’t sound like much of a withdrawal,” he added.

The hearing grew contentious at times, with senators pressing Rubio on a range of issues, including the administration’s hardline immigration policies, Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the controversial prioritisation of white South African immigrants over other refugee groups.

Trump’s administration has blocked mostly non-white refugee admissions from the rest of the world but has begun to resettle Afrikaners, the descendants of mostly Dutch settlers in South Africa, saying they faced discrimination and even genocide.

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South Africa’s government denies the allegation of genocide.

Rubio defended the prioritisation of White South Africans for refugee resettlement, calling it a matter of national interest. He described the group as “a small subset” that is “easier to vet”, reported CNN.

In a tense exchange with Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, Rubio did not dismiss the possibility that race plays a role in the resettlement decision. However, he argued that the individuals in question are facing persecution specifically because they are White.

Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland accused Rubio of abandoning core principles he once championed as a senator.

“While you’ve turned away from a genocide in Sudan and invented one in South Africa, you’ve teamed up with President Trump to throw the Ukrainian people under the bus, and have been played like a fiddle by Vladimir Putin,” Reuters quoted Van Hollen as saying.

“You used to speak with conviction about the importance of foreign aid as a tool to advance American values and interests. Then you stood by while Elon Musk took a chainsaw to USAID and other assistance programms,” Van Hollen said, adding that he regretted his vote for Rubio’s nomination.

Rubio shot back, “First of all, your regret for voting for me confirms I’m doing a good job.”

The hearing suddenly devolved into a shouting exchange, something unusual for a committee long known for bipartisanship.

On Russia, Rubio cautioned against imposing additional sanctions on Russia at this stage, arguing that such a move could hinder ongoing dialogue aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

According to a CNN report, he said that President Donald Trump believes threatening sanctions now could prompt Moscow to disengage from talks, and that maintaining open channels of communication is crucial to bringing Russia to the negotiating table.

Rubio acknowledged that if Russia shows no interest in a peace agreement, further sanctions may eventually be necessary, though he did not specify a timeline for such measures, added the report.

He also emphasised that Russian President Vladimir Putin “hasn’t gotten a single concession” from the Trump administration.

On temporary resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza, Rubio said the US has asked some countries about temporarily housing Gazans, but said he was not aware of Libya being one of them.

He said that the preliminary ask is not a “permanent situation” but a “bridge towards reconstruction.”

According to CNN, Rubio also told the committee that the US believes Syria’s transitional government may be just “weeks, not many months” away from collapsing, warning of the potential for a full-scale civil war of unprecedented scale that could lead to the country’s fragmentation.

Rubio told the committee that the $28.5 billion budget request by the Trump administration for the 2025/2026 fiscal year will allow his department to continue enacting Trump’s vision while cutting $20 billion of “duplicative, wasteful, and ideologically driven programmes.”

The administration is proposing a new $2.9 billion America First Opportunity Fund (A1OF) that would take on foreign aid, building on “lessons we learned from USAID,” Rubio said.

After his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio is scheduled to speak to the Senate Appropriations Committee’s State and Foreign Operations subcommittee at 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT).

On Wednesday, he is due to testify before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Appropriations Committee’s State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs subcommittee.

With inputs from agencies