Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday delivered a forceful defence of the Trump administration’s foreign policy, telling lawmakers that every diplomatic decision must be judged by whether it advances the interests of the United States.
Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said the administration had reoriented US foreign policy around national security, economic strength and sovereignty after what he described as “years of misplaced priorities”.
“Our foreign policy is one that’s solely focused on the national interest of the United States of America,” he added.
He said that Washington’s diplomatic and aid programmes should serve American interests first.
“The reality of it is that our foreign policy, first and foremost, must always be what is in the national interest of the United States of America,” the Secretary of State added.
Rubio’s appearance came as lawmakers examined President Donald Trump’s proposed State Department budget and the administration’s restructuring of American diplomacy and foreign assistance programmes.
The Secretary of State said that difficult choices were often unavoidable in foreign policy.
“Sometimes in foreign policy, the choices are not between a good choice and a bad choice,” Rubio added.
“It’s between two less-than-ideal choices.”
Rubio repeatedly stressed that the US administration was seeking measurable outcomes rather than maintaining programmes for their own sake.
“The United States government is not a charity,” he said.
“We are not here to play social worker. We are here to win.”
The remarks reflected one of the clearest articulations yet of the US administration’s foreign policy doctrine during Trump’s second term.
Rubio said that American power should be used primarily to protect US citizens, strengthen the economy, and secure the country’s future.
“American leadership, however, should always be on behalf of the American interests,” he added.
He pointed to developments in the Western Hemisphere as an example of what he described as successful diplomacy.
“We now have in this hemisphere a coalition of friendly countries, over a dozen, who have aligned to work on not just the issues of security that we all have in common, but also economic prosperity,” Rubio said.
The Secretary of State said the US administration had also transformed foreign aid programmes by bringing them under closer State Department supervision.
“The old model had to be replaced,” he added.
According to Rubio, aid programmes are now tied more closely to strategic goals and national interests.
“We’re not just providing money, we are also seeking outcomes,” he said.
Committee Chairman Jim Risch praised many of the Trump administration’s initiatives, including efforts to reduce illegal immigration, combat fentanyl trafficking, and encourage allies to assume greater responsibility for their own defence.
Risch also commended the US State Department’s restructuring efforts, saying the agency was becoming more efficient and more closely aligned with American interests.
Rubio acknowledged that Congress would ultimately reshape the administration’s budget proposal during the appropriations process but said he welcomed that debate.
“The appropriators here will have a huge say on the outcome of what that budget ultimately looks like,” he said.
(IANS)
