Secretary of State Marco Rubio Faces Intense Scrutiny from Senate Democrats on Foreign Policy Initiatives

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been at the center of several significant diplomatic developments over the past week, facing intense scrutiny from Senate Democrats during his recent appearances on Capitol Hill.

On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, Rubio returned to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—where he once served as a member—to advocate for the Trump administration's foreign policy goals. The hearing quickly became contentious as Senate Democrats challenged him on multiple fronts, including State Department restructuring, budget cuts, and policies concerning the Middle East and El Salvador.

A particularly heated exchange occurred between Rubio and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who criticized Rubio's relationship with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele and the administration's handling of Omar Abrego Garcia's deportation case. When Van Hollen confronted him about revoking visas of students protesting Israel's war in Gaza, Rubio responded defiantly, stating, "I want to do more. I hope we can find more of these people," to which Van Hollen called his approach "pathetic."

The previous day, on Tuesday, May 20, Rubio defended major cuts to the foreign affairs budget before the same committee. The Trump administration has proposed a $28.5 billion foreign affairs budget, approximately half of what it has been in recent years, while also dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Senator Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire warned that these cuts would cede ground to China, noting that "as Elon Musk took a chainsaw to USAID and you proposed cutting 83% of foreign programs, China has proposed increasing its diplomatic budget by 8.4%."

During a May 18 appearance on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Rubio discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts with Russia regarding Ukraine. He confirmed that President Trump has offered to facilitate a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though the details of such a meeting had not yet been arranged. Rubio also addressed potential new sanctions on Russia, noting that the administration had been warning Russian officials for weeks about impending congressional action if progress in negotiations wasn't made.

Rubio has been defending the administration's diplomatic approach with the slogan "America is back," ironically co-opting President Biden's phrase from his administration. Despite criticism, Rubio has highlighted several ongoing diplomatic initiatives, including attempts to resume nuclear talks with Iran, efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine into peace talks, and work to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

In other diplomatic news, Rubio recently met with Pope Leo XIV alongside Vice President JD Vance, continuing the administration's engagement with global religious leaders amid various international challenges.