Rubio faces – Secretary of State Marco Rubio returns to Capitol Hill for the first time since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, with lawmakers pressing him over stalling diplomatic efforts, attacks that have tested a fragile Washington-Tehran ceasefire, and mounting political
Secretary of State Marco Rubio walks into Capitol Hill on Tuesday with a long list of questions waiting—some about diplomacy, others about money, and still more about how far the Trump administration is willing to push.
Rubio will appear for back-to-back hearings for the first time since the Iran war began on Feb. 28. He is scheduled to face the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the State Department as lawmakers consider the State Department’s annual budget request. But the focus is expected to turn quickly to the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. already fragile and further tested in recent days by back-and-forth attacks.
Cabinet members. including Rubio. have defended President Donald Trump’s decision to launch the conflict despite promises over the years not to engage in “forever wars” in the Middle East. Those justifications have had to contend with a war whose aims have shifted under Trump. making the diplomatic work more complicated as the conflict continues.
Rubio’s test before Congress comes after a different moment in the early days of the campaign. He took part in a classified briefing for lawmakers days after the first U.S. and Israeli strikes, and he faced Democrats’ anger over the lack of congressional approval for the action. At the time, most Republicans backed the decision to move against one of America’s oldest adversaries.
In the two months since the war began, the political mood has begun to fracture inside the GOP. A small but growing faction of Republicans has joined Democrats in questioning the “astronomical price tag” and the overall economic consequences of the conflict heading into midterm elections in the fall. Those concerns have become increasingly tangible. with the war cutting tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. a critical waterway where 20% of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime—contributing to spiking gas prices.
Lawmakers’ actions have reflected that strain. Last month, the Senate advanced legislation for the first time that would have forced Trump to withdraw from the conflict. GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana—fresh off a primary election loss in which Trump endorsed his opponent—joined Democrats in pushing the measure forward. In the House. a war powers resolution was also scheduled for a vote. but GOP leadership kept it from reaching the floor after it became clear the party would not have the numbers to defeat it.
The sequence has left Republicans trying to hold together their support for Trump’s handling of the war as rank-and-file members become more willing to break with the president.
Rubio is scheduled to return to the Hill on Wednesday for additional testimony. He will testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and an equivalent Senate Appropriations subcommittee.
Cuba is also likely to come up. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, is expected to face questions about the administration’s escalatory behavior toward Cuba. Trump has hinted that the small island country could be the next U.S. target after operations in Iran are wrapped up. Despite a series of meetings between U.S. and Cuban officials, Trump and Rubio have renewed threats against the island’s government.
Those warnings carry added weight after the administration announced criminal charges against former President Raúl Castro. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the indictment as a political stunt meant to “justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”
Throughout his congressional career and now as America’s top diplomat, Rubio has maintained that Cuba is a national security threat because of its ties to U.S. adversaries, and that Trump is intent on addressing it.
Marco Rubio Congress Senate Foreign Relations Committee House Appropriations subcommittee Iran war ceasefire Strait of Hormuz gas prices Bill Cassidy war powers resolution Cuba Raúl Castro Miguel Díaz-Canel