00:06Marco Rubio, let's let you live, Marco Rubio, let you live, the sins are murdering Cubans,
00:17repent, repent Marco Rubio, God will forgive your sins, Marco Rubio, stop killing Cubans.
00:44Okay, because I'm going to have a police officer here right now, so this needs to be clear for
00:48people, if they are to act, they will not be able to die.
01:03Marco Rubio, let you live, Marco Rubio, let you live, the sins are murdering Cubans, repent,
01:16repent Marco Rubio, let's let you live, Marco Rubio, let you live, the sins are murdering Cubans,
01:18I will forgive your sins, Marco Rubio, stop killing Cubans.
01:28Marco Rubio, let's let you live, the police officer here right now, so this needs to be clear for
01:46people.
01:50Thank you for having me here, there will be a lot to talk about today, and I just want to
01:58remind everybody, you know, our foreign policy is one that's solely focused on the national
02:06interest of the United States of America, on the defense of our country, both its military
02:10defense and our security, but also our economic security, and the vibrancy of our economy,
02:14our sovereignty, and our future.
02:16We believe that America should lead the world, and I believe that we are, and we'll have a
02:20very good story to tell about that.
02:21American leadership, however, should always be on behalf of the American interests.
02:26I say this because I think over a period of time in our foreign policy, we lost focus on
02:30that.
02:31The reality of it is that our foreign policy first and foremost must always be what is in
02:35the national interest of the United States of America.
02:37And determining the national interest oftentimes requires us to make pragmatic decisions.
02:43Sometimes in foreign policy, the choices are not between a good choice and a bad choice.
02:47It's between two less than ideal choices, and you're trying to figure out which one of these
02:51two choices is the one that is best for the United States and least harmful to our interests.
02:55And that plays out every single day.
02:57That said, we remain the world's sole global superpower, the most powerful country on earth.
03:02We have the largest economy.
03:03We have the most formidable and powerful military, ever known to man, by the way.
03:08Our dollar remains the reserve currency of the world.
03:10Our language is used extensively throughout the world to transact all sorts of business
03:15and many of our engagements.
03:17But all of this means very little if that power is not used to protect the people who built it,
03:21the people who it is meant to protect.
03:24I also remind everybody the United States government is not a charity.
03:27We are not here to play social worker.
03:28We are here to win.
03:29We are here to win on behalf of the American people and on behalf of the national interest.
03:33To win for our country.
03:35To win for the people of America.
03:36To win for the things that are important for our future.
03:39And that's what we exist to do.
03:40The State Department exists to carry out the foreign policy of the United States,
03:44both in diplomacy and in aid, in a way that furthers the national interest and helps the American people.
03:49And it's guided every decision that's been made since January of 2025.
03:54I'll give you perfect examples in our own Western Hemisphere.
03:57An area that this committee and many of its members long argued, as I did, has long been neglected and
04:01not been paid attention to.
04:03We now have in this hemisphere a coalition of friendly countries, over a dozen, who have aligned to work on
04:08not just the issues of security that we all have in common,
04:11but also economic prosperity that go hand in hand.
04:14It's an amazing story that basically, other than Nicaragua, other than Cuba, obviously other than Venezuela, remains with some challenges.
04:22And, of course, Brazil, although they're in the midst of an election cycle, and to some extent the current government
04:27in Colombia as well,
04:28at least the president's been problematic.
04:30But generally speaking, it is now a region filled with American allies, American-friendly leaders, and an America-friendly direction.
04:37Now, obviously, we have to operationalize that into action after 20 years of neglect in which China and other global
04:42powers have intruded in our Western Hemisphere
04:45to the detriment not just of American national interest, but to the detriment, in our view, of the people of
04:50those countries as well.
04:51So these are important achievements and one that I'm very happy about.
04:56I'm also happy about the way we've transformed foreign aid.
04:59In any transition, there will be, you know, bumps in the road, but largely speaking, if you think about how
05:05those programs that existed in the past were failing us,
05:07the old model had to be replaced.
05:09And the foreign assistance that remains is being brought under the strategic direction of the State Department.
05:14So we're not just providing money, we are also seeking outcomes.
05:17It's not just how much money you spend on a program, it's whether you're getting outcomes from it.
05:21But it's also being guided with our strategic view in mind.
05:25And that means that we are able to provide aid, not just all over the world, but specifically targeted at
05:30those most in needs
05:31and those places around the world most important to the national interest of the United States.
05:36That will remain our guiding principle.
05:38That's been our guiding principle in our reforms.
05:40So, you know, the – I would just – I mean, we can get into a lot of these details
05:46in our questions.
05:46The bottom line is that all this and more is a reflection of this belief that I outlined at the
05:52outset.
05:53And that is that foreign policy cannot be separated from economic policy, from border policy, from energy policy, from any
05:59of these other spheres that are critical to our national interest.
06:01A country that cannot build ships, or produce medicine, or control immigration, or access vital resources, cannot defend its people,
06:09cannot defend its interests, and cannot defend its way of life.
06:12So our foreign policy continues to be reoriented around the real foundations of national strength.
06:18This budget is yet another step, I believe, in that direction.
06:21Obviously, the appropriators here will have a huge say on the outcome of what that budget ultimately looks like,
06:27as we don't anticipate that for the first time in modern history Congress will just take up our budget and
06:33pass it.
06:33We think it will go through some substantial reforms along the way.
06:36And we look forward to engaging you like we did last year to produce what we think is a very
06:40good spending bill at that time.
06:41So anyways, I look forward to your questions.
06:44I think this is what it says here.
06:44I'm not sure if I really look forward to your questions.
06:46I look forward to probably half your questions.
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