US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s hearing was heckled by a few protesters, shouting “stop the genocide,” before police bundled them out of the hearing room.Rubio was testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the State Department’s budget proposal when anti-Israel activities began. In the video, the protesters could be seen being taken out by the officials from the hearing room. The short grey haired liberal was seen screaming down the hallway which continued on outside of the building.During the hearing, Rubio commented on the administration’s crackdown of immigrants. He said the US can’t have its doors open toe everyone who wants to come to the country with their sad stories. No country has an immigration policy to accept everyone and hence those who can be vetted easily will get preference in the US.On aid cuts, Rubio said that the Trump administration’s $28.5 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2025/2026 will enable the State Department to implement Trump’s agenda whilst eliminating $20 billion from programmes deemed redundant, inefficient and ideologically motivated.Despite his previous support for foreign assistance during his 14-year Senate tenure, Rubio supported reductions in international aid, alongside cuts to State Department personnel and the incorporation of the US Agency for International Development into the State Department. The agency previously managed an annual budget of approximately $40 billion, Reuters reported.The senators questioned Rubio regarding several matters, including the administration’s plans to ease Syria sanctions, his involvement in immigration enforcement measures, humanitarian aid distribution to Palestinians in Gaza, and initiatives to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.“I believe (Israel) can achieve their objective of defeating Hamas while still allowing aid to enter in sufficient quantities,” Rubio said.Rubio indicated that State Department personnel in Turkey, including the ambassador, would be authorised to collaborate with Syrian local authorities. He expressed his intention to potentially modify Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, contingent upon meeting specified criteria.
