Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vigorously defended the Trump administration’s restructuring of US foreign assistance programmes, rejecting Democratic criticism that cuts to aid and the dismantling of parts of the foreign aid bureaucracy have weakened America’s global influence and contributed to humanitarian suffering.
Appearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs, Rubio argued that the administration’s approach has made American assistance “more nimble, more responsive” and more closely tied to US national interests.
“The core of our foreign policy must always be the national interest of the United States,” Rubio told lawmakers during a lengthy budget hearing that featured sharp exchanges over global health programmes, refugee policy, Iran, Gaza and immigration.
Rubio said the United States remains the world’s largest provider of foreign assistance but insisted that aid should be measured by results rather than spending levels.
“We don’t want aid to solely be judged by how much you spend. We want it to be judged by what its results are,” he said.
The Secretary highlighted what he described as a new global health strategy built around more than 32 health compacts with partner countries.
“We are trying to lay the groundwork in many of these countries where one day they will no longer need foreign aid because they will be able to sustain it,” Rubio said. “We’re helping build the internal infrastructure.”
Democratic lawmakers challenged the administration’s record, citing reports of disruptions to health and development programmes following the dismantling of USAID and broader foreign aid reforms.
Representative Lois Frankel argued that cuts had undermined healthcare, food security and women’s programmes in vulnerable countries. Representative Rosa DeLauro raised concerns about the global Ebola response and accused the administration of weakening public health preparedness.
Rubio rejected those claims, saying the US response to the current Ebola outbreak had been rapid and effective.
“We were able to program upwards of over $200 million very quickly in responding to it,” he said, adding that the State Department had established mechanisms to assist Americans potentially exposed to the disease.
The hearing also touched on Iran, where Rubio said any future sanctions relief would depend on Tehran’s actions and compliance with negotiations over its nuclear programme.
“There is not going to be some sort of advanced signing bonus or good faith” payment, Rubio said when questioned about concerns that Iran could use released funds to support proxy groups.
On China, Rubio warned against excessive global dependence on any single country for critical minerals and strategic supply chains.
“It is not healthy for the global economy and frankly, it is dangerous for national security and the security of the world to depend on any single country for 90 per cent of anything that’s critical to your industrial base, your defence base, your technology base,” he said.
Rubio said critical minerals diplomacy had become a central element of US engagement worldwide and noted that nearly every American embassy now treats supply chain security as a strategic priority.
The Secretary also defended the administration’s broader foreign policy approach, arguing that resources must be directed toward countries and programmes that advance American interests.
“We are going to award those that are good to the United States,” Rubio said. “We’re not going to be as friendly to places that are not furthering our national interests.”
The hearing came as Congress continues deliberations on the fiscal year 2027 State Department budget, with Republican lawmakers backing reductions in overall spending while maintaining support for strategic priorities including Israel, Taiwan, counterterrorism efforts and Indo-Pacific initiatives.
(IANS)
