The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, appeared this Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to defend the budget of the State Department for the fiscal year 2027 and left a phrase that summarizes the doctrine of the Trump administration: “The government of the United States is not a charitable organization.”
Rubio was the only witness summoned in the hearing titled "Review of the Budget Request from the Department of State for Fiscal Year 2027," and his opening statement set the tone for the entire appearance.
"We're not here to act as social workers; we're here to win. We're here to win on behalf of the American people and in defense of the national interest; to win for our country, for the people of the United States, and for the things that matter for our future. That is our purpose," declared the secretary before the senators.
The Secretary of State also underscored that Washington's foreign policy has a single focus: "Our foreign policy is solely directed at the national interests of the United States of America, in the defense of our country, both in terms of military defense and our security, but also in our economic security and the strength of our economy, our sovereignty, and our future."
The head of U.S. diplomacy acknowledged the strength of his country but warned that this power has a moral limit: "We remain the only global superpower in the world, the most powerful country on Earth. We have the largest economy and the most formidable and powerful armed forces humanity has ever known," he said, adding that "all of this means very little if that power is not used to protect the people who built it."
The budget that Rubio advocates amounts to 33.6 billion dollars, according to the official budget justification published in April 2026, amidst a debate in Congress regarding cuts to U.S. diplomacy.
In hemispheric matters, Rubio emphasized the formation of a coalition of more than a dozen Latin American and Caribbean countries aligned with Washington on issues of security and economic prosperity, noting the exceptions by name.
"Basically, except for Nicaragua, Cuba, and of course, Venezuela, which continues to face some challenges, in general, this is now a region full of allies of the United States, of leaders friendly to the United States, and with a favorable orientation towards our country," he stated.
Rubio also warned that this regional alignment must translate into concrete actions to reverse "20 years of neglect" during which "China and other global powers have intervened in our Western Hemisphere, to the detriment not only of the national interests of the United States but also, in our view, of the people of those countries."
The secretary, who has publicly stated that he hopes the fall of the Cuban regime will be the legacy of his career, described the president of Colombia as "problematic" and characterized Brazil as a country "in the midst of an electoral cycle."
Today's appearance before the Senate is just the first of two: tomorrow, Rubio will testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a hearing titled "Department of State Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2027: A Commitment to America First Foreign Policy."
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