US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to tell lawmakers on Tuesday, 3 June 2025 that the Trump administration has fundamentally overhauled American foreign assistance policy, replacing what it characterises as dependency-driven aid programmes with a framework built on trade, investment, and partnerships that directly serve US national interests. The testimony, prepared for a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, offers the most detailed public articulation yet of how Washington intends to justify its foreign affairs budget under the new doctrine.

The Core Argument

In his prepared remarks, Rubio frames foreign assistance not as a development obligation but as a tool of statecraft — one that must yield measurable returns for the United States. 'Foreign aid, properly understood, is a valuable tool — a key instrument of statecraft,' he says. 'But every dollar of our assistance must make America safer, stronger, or more prosperous.'

The Secretary goes further, drawing a hard line on the purpose of taxpayer-funded programmes: 'It must serve the American interest or it should not be paid for by the American people.' This marks a sharp departure from the bipartisan consensus that has shaped US foreign aid architecture since the post-war era.

Trade Over Aid: The New Model

At the centre of the administration's approach is a deliberate pivot away from traditional aid structures. 'Our new model emphasises trade over aid, investment over dependency, and mutually beneficial partnership over permanent patronage,' Rubio says in the prepared testimony. Programmes that the administration determined failed to advance American interests have reportedly been eliminated since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, with remaining assistance brought under the strategic direction of the State Department.

This comes amid a broader global competition for critical technologies, rare minerals, and advanced manufacturing capacity — a race in which the administration argues the old aid model left the United States strategically exposed.

Budget Proposals: Two New Instruments

The testimony outlines two flagship budget initiatives. The first is an 'America First Global Health Strategy', described as being developed through dozens of bilateral assistance agreements aligned with core American interests — a significant structural shift from multilateral health funding. The second is the 'America First Opportunity Fund', which Rubio says would support strategic investments, secure access to critical minerals, rebuild American supply chains, and strengthen competitiveness in industries considered vital to future economic growth.

Rubio frames the proposed budget as reinforcing American economic dominance rather than underwriting global development. 'It reinforces and bolsters American economic dominance,' he says of the overall proposal.

Linking Foreign Policy to Domestic Strength

Notably, Rubio argues that foreign and domestic economic policy can no longer be treated as separate domains. 'A country that cannot build ships, produce medicine, control immigration, or access vital resources cannot defend its people, its interests, or its way of life,' he says — a formulation that ties foreign affairs spending directly to industrial and supply-chain policy. This framing signals that the administration views foreign policy as an extension of its reshoring and economic security agenda.

What Comes Next

The hearing before the House subcommittee will be a key test of whether the administration's 'trade over aid' doctrine can survive congressional scrutiny, particularly from members who have historically backed development assistance and global health programmes. Critics are likely to press Rubio on which specific programmes have been cut and what metrics will be used to measure whether the new model actually advances American interests. The outcome could shape the foreign affairs appropriations debate for the remainder of the fiscal year.