Marco Rubio faces the US Congress for the first time since the start of the war against Iran

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to face a series of questions in Congress this Tuesday (2) about the Donald Trump administration's diplomatic efforts around the world, in his first participation in hearings on Capitol Hill since the start of the war against Iran.
The former Republican senator will participate in two consecutive hearings in the House and Senate to present the State Department's annual budget request. However, the expectation is that the focus of the discussions will quickly turn to the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which has been put to the test in recent days by new attacks between the two countries.
Government members, including Rubio, have defended President Donald Trump's decision to initiate the conflict, despite promises made over the years to avoid United States involvement in "endless wars" in the Middle East. This defense, however, was hampered by Trump's frequent changes in relation to the war's objectives.
Although this is the first time that Rubio has testified before Congress since the start of the war on February 28, he had already participated in a confidential meeting with parliamentarians just days after the first attacks by the United States and Israel. At the time, it faced criticism from Democrats for the lack of prior authorization from Congress for the operation, but received strong support from the majority of Republicans.
In the two months since the start of the conflict, however, a small but growing group of Republicans began to join Democrats in questioning the billion-dollar cost of the war and its economic impacts, especially on the eve of the mid-term legislative elections, scheduled for the second half of the year.
The war reduced oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route through which, in the past, of peace, accounts for around 20% of the oil and natural gas sold in the world. The interruption raised fuel prices.
Last month, the Senate advanced, for the first time, a legislative proposal that would force Trump to withdraw the United States from the conflict. The measure gained momentum after Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana supported the Democrats' initiative. Cassidy had just lost a primary election in which Trump supported his opponent.
The House of Representatives also scheduled a vote on a resolution related to the president's war powers, but the Republican leadership prevented the proposal from reaching the plenary after realizing that it would not have enough votes to defeat it.
The episodes highlight the difficulties of the Republican Party in maintaining political support for Trump's conduct of the war, as base parliamentarians show themselves more willing to contradict the president.
After the hearings this Tuesday in the Senate Foreign Relations and House Appropriations committees, Rubio will return to the Capitol on Wednesday (3), when he will be heard by the House Foreign Relations Committee and an equivalent Senate subcommittee.
Son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio should also be questioned about the Trump administration's tightening policy towards Cuba. The American president has suggested that the island could become the United States' next target after the end of military operations against Iran.
Despite a series of meetings between American and Cuban officials, Trump and Rubio once again threatened the Cuban government, especially after the administration announced criminal charges against former president Raúl Castro.
Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, classified the accusation as a political maneuver intended only to "justify the madness of a military aggression against Cuba."
Throughout his political career and now as the United States' top diplomat, Rubio has maintained that Cuba poses a threat to American national security due to its ties to Washington's adversaries and asserts that Trump is determined to confront this issue.

Source: G1