Marco Rubio Testifies on Iran War, Mass Deportations Amid Budget Battles

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Marco Rubio testifies to Congress on Iran war and mass deportations: Live updates

Marco Rubio, Markwayne Mullin and Todd Blanche face grilling from members of Congress amid Trump’s budget battle

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he’s expected to face questions over the war in Iran.

Rubio’s hearing marks his first public testimony since the war began on Feb. 28. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will also testify in budget hearings today.

Blanche is expected to face questions about the president’s much-maligned $1.8 billion compensation fund for his political allies and how the Department of Justice is handling investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.

Last week, former Attorney General Pam Bondi told lawmakers during a closed-door deposition that she delegated oversight of the so-called Epstein files to her now-former deputy, who is also the president’s former criminal defense attorney.

A nearly $72 billion budget bill — which largely includes funding for immigration enforcement funding — faces an uphill battle in Congress thanks to the administration’s push for what critics are calling a taxpayer-funded “slush fund” for Trump’s allies.

The Justice Department has backed off the fund — for now — while a legal challenge plays out.

Sen. Murphy lashes out at Rubio over Iran war

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy lashed out at Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the war with Iran.

Murphy argued that the Trump administration’s war and blockade “has now held the entire world economy and the US economy hostage to the ability to negotiate an agreement with Iran.”

He went on to ask Rubio what it would take to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“Well, what needs to happen is very simple ... they need to announce that they will no longer fire on commercial ships that are going through or threaten to fire on ships because in many cases ships just won't move, they won't go, not because they got fired on, but because of the risk of being fired upon,” Rubio replied.

“And so they have to announce very clearly the straits are now open — we're not charging a toll, we will help remove the mines that they put in there, and they will not fire on ships,” he added.

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 15:49

'There is no Iranian navy': Rubio

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers the Iranian navy is “at the bottom of the ocean.”

“Today, there is no Iranian navy. There is no such thing. There's a bunch of Boston Whalers with machine guns on them, but there is no navy. There is no Iranian navy. It lies at the bottom of the ocean, and will soon, within a number of years, be prime fishing spots, because they'll turn into reefs,” he said.

Today marks Rubio’s first public testimony since the war with Iran began in late February.

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 15:28

Rubio defends budget proposal

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended his budget proposal in his opening remarks.

“Foreign policy cannot be separated from economic policy, from border policy, from energy policy, from any of these other spheres that are critical to our national interest,” Rubio told lawmakers.

“A country that cannot build ships or produce medicine or control immigration or access vital resources cannot defend its people, cannot defend its interests, and cannot defend its way of life. So our foreign policy continues to be reoriented around the real foundations of national strength. This budget is yet another step, I believe, in that direction,” he continued.

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 15:23

Shaheen slams Rubio over Ebola outbreak

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen blasted Secretary of State Marco Rubio for requesting budget reductions amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

“You're asking for a 44% reduction in the State Department budget that includes eliminating the World Health Organization, it includes eliminating all disease-specific funds in the middle of an Ebola crisis that's affecting Americans. Yet no one from your department can explain to us why this is a good idea,” she told Rubio.

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 15:19

Rubio's Senate hearing begins

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is testifying now before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 15:09

In pictures: Protesters gather for Rubio's Senate hearing

Demonstrators have gathered on Capitol Hill to protest Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he arrives for a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 15:00

ICYMI: Pam Bondi threw acting AG Todd Blanche under the bus over Epstein files

Last week, former Attorney General Pam Bondi told lawmakers that her successor, Todd Blanche, was responsible for the chaotic release of the so-called Epstein files.

Now, Blanche is expected to face questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein investigation when he appears before lawmakers this afternoon.

Read more about Bondi’s testimony below:

Pam Bondi throws Todd Blanche under the bus over Epstein files in Congress testimony

Former attorney general grilled by House Oversight Committee during closed-door deposition

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 14:57

What is Trump's $1.8B ‘slush fund'?

President Donald Trump recently proposed a nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that could be used to pay his allies.

The plan has sparked pushback from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, with critics labeling it a “slush fund” for his supporters.

But Trump tabled the plan after a judge temporarily blocked his administration from “taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation” of the fund in a ruling released Friday.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to face questions from lawmakers about the fund when he testifies before a House Appropriations subcommittee this afternoon.

Read more about the fund below:

Trump drops his $1.8B ‘slush fund’ after outrage over paying his allies

DOJ will follow judge’s order that temporarily blocks ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ after major roadblocks in Congress and in court

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 14:37

Rubio set to give first public testimony since Iran war began

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to testify publicly today for the first time since the Iran war began on Feb. 28.

Rubio will appear before two congressional committees today, where lawmakers are expected to grill him on the conflict.

Katie Hawkinson2 June 2026 14:14

Mullin’s testimony will be the first since his confirmation hearing

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s testimony will be his first since his confirmation hearing in March, when he replaced Kristi Noem, his scandal-plagued predecessor.

His appearance on Capitol Hill comes after multiple DHS insiders complained that the former Oklahoma senator is “barely in the building,” according to The Daily Mail.

“Mullin seems to think DHS requires less work than a senator, and it shows,” one told the outlet.

When reached by The Independent, a DHS spokesperson dismissed the report's claims as "complete garbage."

Brendan Rascius2 June 2026 13:50