Rubio Scheduled to Testify Before Congress on Iran Negotiations and State Department Budget

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to appear before lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday for his first public testimony since the start of the Trump administration’s military operations in Iran. Rubio will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 10 a.m. and before a House panel on State Department spending at 2 p.m. The appearances form part of a series of hearings in which the secretary will present the administration’s request for nearly $36 billion in funding for the department.

Additional hearings are planned for Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the State Department. Lawmakers are expected to question Rubio, who also serves as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, on the status of negotiations with Iran and on the costs associated with the conflict. Some members of both parties have expressed concerns about those costs and about potential effects on the November midterm elections.

On Monday, Trump stated that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with representatives of Hezbollah and had urged both sides to cease attacks. He subsequently posted on social media that talks between the United States and Iran had resumed and were proceeding at a rapid pace. Administration officials have indicated that a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran is undergoing final revisions and awaits the president’s approval. Trump has stated that any agreement must include Iran’s closure of its nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran closed after the conflict began in late February. The closure has affected global energy markets and contributed to higher domestic gasoline prices.

In recent weeks, additional Republican members of Congress have supported largely symbolic resolutions calling for an end to the fighting. Resolutions invoking war powers authority, advanced by Democrats in both chambers, could receive votes as early as this week.

Separate talks between Lebanese and Israeli diplomats are scheduled to continue in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday under the auspices of Rubio’s aides, with the goal of reaching a longer-term security arrangement. One U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described Israel’s recent actions in Lebanon as significant in scale and suggested Lebanon might withdraw from the discussions. A second U.S. official said the administration supports Israel’s position that it should not face continued attacks on its civilians from Hezbollah.

A Democratic congressional aide, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said lawmakers are likely to ask Rubio about U.S. support for partners including Ukraine and Taiwan. The administration has transferred primary responsibility for assistance to Ukraine to European governments, and negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow remain stalled. Following a May meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Trump said he would decide in the coming weeks whether to approve $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.