Rubio Defends Trump’s Foreign Policy As Democrats Press Him On Gaza Aid And White South Africans

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 20: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Rubio testified on the proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of State. (Photo by Sha Hanting/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Democratic senators have sparred over a wide range of the Trump administration’s foreign policies: Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, Latin America, the slashing of the U.S. foreign assistance budget, refugee admissions and more. At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Tuesday, Rubio defended the administration’s decisions, saying “America is back.” He claimed four months of foreign policy achievements, even as many of them remain inconclusive. Among them, the resumption of nuclear talks with Iran, efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine into peace talks, and efforts to end to the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.