When Sen. Marco Rubio was asked Wednesday how he would define success as secretary of state, for which he has been nominated, he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “The alignment of our foreign policy to our national interest.”
Throughout the hearing, Rubio outlined a foreign policy philosophy of skepticism toward the postwar consensus. “The postwar global order is not just obsolete. It is now a weapon being used against us,” the Florida Republican said.
In his opening statement, Rubio thanked God and his parents who immigrated to America from Cuba. He didn’t get very far in his remarks, however, before he was interrupted by left-wing protesters who shouted in both English and Spanish.
“I get bilingual protesters,” Rubio quipped.
Rubio went on to characterize the reelection of President Donald Trump as a statement from voters about what they wanted to see from their leaders. “They want a strong America,” he said.
He emphasized that it was important that he have State Department staffers who are aligned with Trump’s mission for the department. “The top priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States,” he told committee members. The Florida lawmaker said his decisions would be governed by the answers to three questions: “Does it make America safer?”; “Does it make America stronger?”; and “Does it make America more prosperous?”
He contended that one of the centerpieces of American economic diplomacy should be energy. “That is critical if you want to build a manufacturing sector,” Rubio said about supplying developing countries with energy.
On the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant on Nov. 21 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Rubio said he thought the ICC “has done tremendous damage to its credibility.” He described how the Palestinian militant group Hamas had deliberately targeted innocent civilians, killing and kidnapping them, in its Oct. 7, 2023, invasion and attack on Israel, precipitating retaliatory strikes by Israel against Gaza.
“They have to defend their national security and their national interest,” Rubio said of Israelis responding to the attack, citing the difference between Hamas using human shields and Israel’s defensive response. The Florida senator also expressed strong support for normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, noting that private enterprise would be a linchpin for facilitating that relationship.
As the hearing progressed, the world learned of a potential breakthrough deal in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel, which would also lead to the release of Israeli hostages.
Reacting to the news outside the hearing room, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters, including The Daily Signal, that he didn’t “believe in coincidences,” and that he thinks “President Trump had an impact on this deal, and obviously the Biden administration was eager to wrap this up before they leave office” on Monday. Cornyn noted that he didn’t trust either Hamas or its sponsors in Iran, so the details of the deal matter.
When asked whether the potential deal came together because of Trump’s Jan. 7 warning to Hamas that “all hell will break out” if the hostages weren’t freed before his Jan. 20 inauguration, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters, “I think that’s a rhetorical question.”
With respect to NATO, Rubio reaffirmed the importance of the alliance. But he pointed out that multiple presidents have demanded that NATO countries need to contribute more to their own defense.
“We have to have alliances with strong and capable partners,” Rubio told the panel, noting that some NATO countries have been able to afford generous domestic welfare programs because the United States spends so much on defense.
On the war between Russia and Ukraine, Rubio contended that Moscow would not be able to conquer all of Ukraine, but also that Ukraine wouldn’t be able to push the Russians back to their preinvasion boundaries. “This war has to end,” he said, adding that it’s “going to be very difficult” to negotiate an end to hostilities between the two countries.
Rubio also weighed in on the case of Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania teacher who has been imprisoned in Russia since August 2021 on trumped-up drug charges. Fogel’s case was raised by freshman Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., and Rubio committed to making it a priority to get Fogel freed and repatriated.
On China, Rubio noted its control of the production of many vital resources throughout the world and said Beijing views other Asian nations as tributary states.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., asked Rubio whether there was a carrot the United States could offer China in negotiations. The nominee said it was in the interest of both countries to communicate and maintained that China could not be allowed to continue to assume all of the benefits of the international system and none of its obligations.
On the topic of mass illegal immigration and drug smuggling, Rubio expressed a hope that the United States could work with Mexico’s new government to crack down on drug cartels, which he described as having terrorist elements. He said that the cartels also pose a grave risk to Mexican sovereignty.
“You can expect President Trump to do whatever it takes,” Rubio said about confronting the crimes of the cartels against the United States.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., contended that Africa was not receiving enough engagement from the United States. “We could reap a tremendous harvest,” Booker said about investing in relationships with Africa.
“It’s been heavily focused on counterterrorism,” Rubio said of U.S. strategy toward the continent, noting that was appropriate, while affirming Booker’s emphasis on strengthening American relations with African nations.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., told The Daily Signal in a statement that Rubio “is a strong pick for secretary of state, and he has my full support.”
“He will get America back on track and restore our dignity on the world stage. I look forward to confirming Marco and all of Donald Trump’s nominees as quickly as possible, so we can hit the ground running, restoring America’s standing in the world, securing the border, lowering taxes and unleashing American energy.”
Peter Parisi contributed to this report.
