Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs on June 2 to discuss the fiscal year 2027 Department of State budget request. Rubio began by stating he would forgo a lengthy opening statement in favor of answering questions from committee members.
Rubio said that the core of U.S. foreign policy must always be based on the national interest of the United States, which requires defining those interests and prioritizing resources accordingly. “That’s just the reality of limited resources, and every country in the world has limited resources, including the United States, despite our vast resources,” Rubio said.
Addressing U.S. foreign aid policy, Rubio said that while America remains “the world’s largest aid provider,” he emphasized that success should be measured by results rather than spending alone. He highlighted progress under the Global Health Strategy with over 32 health compacts signed worldwide. According to Rubio, these agreements help countries build domestic capacity so they may eventually become self-sustaining without reliance on foreign assistance.
Rubio also cited improvements in humanitarian response times compared to previous administrations. He pointed to recent disaster relief efforts in Jamaica following a hurricane and rapid funding allocations during typhoons and Ebola outbreaks as examples of more nimble operations. The Secretary mentioned establishing an observation facility in Kenya for Americans potentially exposed to Ebola as part of this approach.
He further noted collaboration with international organizations such as the Global Fund and United Nations agencies like OCHA for providing timely support during crises. “I feel like we have made dramatic improvements in the way American foreign assistance is delivered across the world,” Rubio said.
Rubio concluded by inviting further discussion about initiatives such as PEPFAR, if committee members wished to explore those topics.