Politics

Jun 2, 2026 9:25 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to face numerous questions Tuesday regarding the Trump administration's delicate diplomatic initiatives worldwide as he appears for consecutive hearings on Capitol Hill. This marks his first such appearance since the Iran conflict began.

Rubio is slated to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 10 a.m. EDT.

The Republican former senator will sit before House and Senate committees to present the State Department's annual budget request. Yet attention is expected to turn rapidly to the already unsteady ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, tested further in recent days by exchanges of attacks.

Cabinet members including Rubio have defended President Donald Trump's choice to initiate the conflict despite earlier pledges to avoid endless wars in the Middle East. That defense has grown tougher amid Trump's changing objectives for the fighting.

Although Rubio is testifying before Congress for the first time since the Iran war started on Feb. 28, he joined a classified briefing for lawmakers shortly after the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes. He encountered Democratic criticism over the absence of congressional approval alongside firm backing from most Republicans for action against one of America's longstanding adversaries.

Rubio will also appear before a House Appropriations subcommittee at 2 p.m. EDT.

In the two months since the war began, a small but expanding group of Republicans has joined Democrats in raising concerns about the enormous costs and broader economic effects of the conflict ahead of fall midterm elections. The fighting has reduced tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route carrying 20 percent of the world's traded oil and natural gas in peacetime, driving up gas prices.

Last month the Senate advanced legislation for the first time that would have required Trump to exit the conflict after GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana joined Democrats in advancing it following his primary election loss.

The House had planned a vote on a war powers resolution, but GOP leaders blocked it from reaching the floor once it became evident the majority would lack the votes to defeat the measure.

These steps reveal that the GOP is finding it harder to sustain political support for Trump's management of the war as ordinary Republicans grow more willing to oppose the president on the issue.

After his Tuesday appearances before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Appropriations subcommittee handling the State Department, Rubio will return to the Hill on Wednesday to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the matching Senate Appropriations subcommittee.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, is also likely to face questions about the Trump administration's tougher stance toward Cuba, as Trump has suggested the island nation could become the next U.S. target once operations in Iran conclude.

Despite meetings between U.S. and Cuban officials, Trump and Rubio have repeated threats against the island's government. These carry added weight after the administration filed criminal charges against former President Raul Castro. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced the indictment as a political move meant only to justify potential military action against Cuba.

Throughout his time in Congress and now as the nation's chief diplomat, Rubio has argued that Cuba poses a national security threat due to its connections with U.S. adversaries and that Trump aims to confront it.

Amiri reported from New York.