Rubio fires back after Dem senator says he regrets voting for him, sparking tense exchange
Secretary of State Marco Rubio fired back at Sen. Chris Van Hollen after the Maryland Democrat said he regretted voting for Rubio as President Donald Trump's chief foreign affairs adviser, leading to a fiery exchange during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
Rubio testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the State Department's budget proposal when Van Hollen used his time to tear into the State Department for revoking visas of those found disrupting college campuses or committing acts of violence.
"Your campaign of fear and repression is eating away at the foundational values of our democracy," Van Hollen said, likening Rubio to the era of Sen. Joseph McCarthy. He added, "And I have to tell you directly and personally that I regret voting for you for Secretary of State."
"First of all, your regret for voting for me confirms I'm doing a good job," Rubio replied.
"That's just a flippant statement, Mr. Secretary," Van Hollen shot back.
Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, interjected, asking Van Hollen to let Rubio respond to his claims without interruption. When Van Hollen asked if he can, in turn, respond to Rubio, Risch said, "Your time is up, Mr. Senator, and woefully used I might add."
Rubio continued, saying that in the case of El Salvador, "we deported gang members … including the one you had a margarita with," referencing Van Hollen's visit to see deported "Maryland man" Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. "And that guy is a human trafficker, and that guy is a gangbanger, and the evidence is going to be clear in the days to come."
Van Hollen then jumped in, shouting to the chairman that Rubio "can't make unsubstantiated comments like that."
"Secretary Rubio should take that testimony to the federal court of the United States because he hasn't done it under oath," Van Hollen said before Risch banged the gavel to allow Rubio to continue.
Rubio continued: "About the student visas, let me say this. I don't deport anybody and I don't snatch anybody. The State Department does not have officers in the streets snatching everybody. What I do is revoke visas. And it's very simple. A visa is not a right. It is a privilege."
"People apply for student visas to come into the United States and study. And if you tell me you're coming to the United States to lead campus crusades, to take over libraries, and try to burn down buildings and acts of violence, we're not going to give you a visa," he continued.
Van Hollen shot back that Rubio "was just blowing smoke here now."
Rubio responded: "The bottom line is, if you're coming here to stir up trouble on our campuses, we will deny you a visa. And if you have a visa, and we find you, we will revoke it."
Rubio said the Trump administration will continue to revoke the visas of those who are here as guests and are disrupting college campuses.
A senior State Department official reacted to the exchange in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Once again, Senator Van Hollen proves that he cares more about illegal immigrants than his own constituents," the senior State Department official said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fed's Waller Outlines Path to Rate Cuts Later This Year
(Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he continues to see a path to interest-rate cuts later this year amid his expectations that tariffs will boost unemployment and temporarily increase inflation. Billionaire Steve Cohen Wants NY to Expand Taxpayer-Backed Ferry Where the Wild Children's Museums Are The Economic Benefits of Paying Workers to Move Now With Colorful Blocks, Tirana's Pyramid Represents a Changing Albania NYC Congestion Toll Brings In $216 Million in First Four Months Waller said tariffs will raise inflation in the 'coming months,' but he supports looking through any near-term rise in price growth when setting policy as long as inflation expectations remain anchored. 'Assuming that the effective tariff rate settles close to my lower tariff scenario, that underlying inflation continues to make progress to our 2% goal, and that the labor market remains solid, I would be supporting 'good news' rate cuts later this year,' Waller said in remarks prepared for a Bank of Korea conference in Seoul on Monday. Waller referenced a speech he gave in mid-April, in which he outlined two scenarios for how trade policy may unfold. His 'large-tariff' scenario assumed an average trade-weighted tariff on goods of 25% that remained in place for 'some time.' The 'smaller-tariff' scenario assumed a 10% average tariff, and that higher country and sector-specific duties would be negotiated lower over time. In both scenarios, Waller expects the impact of tariffs on inflation would be temporary. He also anticipates the levies will cause an increase in the unemployment rate that will 'probably linger.' That said, job cuts would likely be 'modest,' he said, under the smaller-tariff option. 'Reported progress on trade negotiations since that speech leaves my base case somewhere in between these two scenarios,' Waller said. He now estimates a 15% trade-weighted tariff on goods imports. During Waller's dialogue with Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong, he attributed recent increases in long-term treasury yields to rising concerns over the US fiscal deficit. He said markets had expected some progress toward fiscal consolidation, but estimates now suggest the federal deficit will remain near $2 trillion — about 6% of gross domestic product — for the foreseeable future. 'If there's going to be a lot more debt issuance than the markets thought, they'll buy it — but at a much lower price, unfortunately,' he told Rhee. 'It's not a question of whether it will sell, but the price they're willing to pay.' He added that recent trade and geopolitical developments, including tariff announcements and signals from the White House, have fueled risk aversion among foreign investors. Some institutional buyers are reassessing their exposure to US assets, which could weigh on demand and push yields higher. Inflation Expectations Waller largely dismissed a 2025 surge in the University of Michigan's gauge of consumers' inflation expectations over the next five to 10 years. He said he prefers to look at market-based measures of inflation compensation and professional forecasters' expectations, which have not seen a similar increase. Waller said the 'strong' labor market and recent progress toward the Fed's 2% inflation goal offer policymakers time to see how trade negotiations unfold, echoing many of his colleagues. Fed officials have largely indicated rates are in a good place while they await further clarity on President Donald Trump's policies — particularly tariffs — and their impact on the economy before adjusting borrowing costs. Waller underscored that considerable uncertainty remains around the ultimate level of duties imposed on other countries and sectors. Trump announced Friday that he would be increasing tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50%, from 25%. 'As of today, I see downside risks to economic activity and employment and upside risks to inflation in the second half of 2025, but how these risks evolve is strongly tied to how trade policy evolves,' Waller said. Stablecoin Implications Waller also weighed in on stablecoins, describing them as a potential tool to introduce competition into payments system. While noting he couldn't speak for the US government's stance on legislation, Waller said he views stablecoins as 'just a payment instrument,' one that could be issued by non-bank entities in the same way deposits are used for transactions. 'If stablecoins can help drive down costs, especially for small and medium-sized firms doing cross-border transfers, I'm all for allowing competition rather than having regulators set prices,' Waller said. (Updates with Waller's comments after speech.) YouTube Is Swallowing TV Whole, and It's Coming for the Sitcom Millions of Americans Are Obsessed With This Japanese Barbecue Sauce Mark Zuckerberg Loves MAGA Now. Will MAGA Ever Love Him Back? Will Small Business Owners Knock Down Trump's Mighty Tariffs? Trump Considers Deporting Migrants to Rwanda After the UK Decides Not To ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Harvard Chinese grad speech draws praise and ire
A Chinese Harvard graduate's speech calling for unity in a divided world, delivered days after the US vowed to "aggressively" revoke Chinese students' visas, has sparked mixed reactions in the US and her home country. "We don't rise by proving each other wrong. We rise by refusing to let one another go," Jiang Yurong said on Thursday, the same day a US federal judge blocked the Trump administration's ban on foreign students at Harvard. Her speech went viral on the Chinese internet, with some saying it moved them to tears. However, others said her elite background is not representative of Chinese students. In the US, some have flagged her alleged links with the Chinese Communist Party. In their efforts to restrict Harvard from enrolling foreign students, US authorities had accused the institution of "co-ordinating with the Chinese Communist Party". Ms Jiang, who studied international development, was the first Chinese woman to speak at a Harvard graduation ceremony. In her address, Ms Jiang emphasised the value of Harvard's international classrooms, noting how that taught her and her classmates to "dance through each other's traditions" and "carry the weight of each other's worlds". "If we still believe in a shared future, let us not forget: those we label as enemies - they, too, are human. In seeing their humanity, we find our own," said Ms Jiang, who spent her final two years of school at Cardiff Sixth Form College in Wales before going to Duke University in the US for her undergraduate degree. A conservative X account, with the handle @amuse, criticised Harvard for choosing a graduation speaker who is "a representative of a CCP-funded and monitored non-government organisation", alleging that her father works for a non-government organisation that "serves as a quasi-diplomatic agent for the [party]". The account, which has 639,000 followers, has previously posted pro-Donald Trump content, such as the US leader fighting Darth Vader and sexualised imagery of former Vice-President Kamala Harris. Some Chinese social media users, on the other hand, allege that the organisation Ms Jiang's father works for is backed by prominent American companies and foundations. The BBC has not independently verified these allegations. "This is why she could get a scholarship to go to the UK for high school, and later also to Harvard," wrote a user on China's X-like platform, Weibo. Others called for her to stay on in the US, with comments that reeked with sarcasm. "Such talent should be left to the United States," one wrote. "I hope she will continue to glow abroad and stay away from us!" read another. But Ms Jiang's vision of a "shared humanity" also struck a chord. "That she is able to stand on an international stage and speak the heart of Chinese students has moved me to tears," wrote a user on Red Note, another Chinese social media platform. Another user defended Jiang by hitting back at those who criticised her: "You may not have changed them, but they've heard you... As more and more people speak out like you, you will eventually move and change others." There are around 6,800 international students at Harvard, who make up more than 27% of its enrolments in the past academic year. About a third of these foreign students are from China, and more than 700 are Indian. Students or spies? The young Chinese caught in Trump's crosshairs 'We did not sign up for this': Harvard's foreign students are stuck and scared
Forbes
17 minutes ago
- Forbes
China Accuses US Of Violating Trade Pact—Rejects Trump's Allegation
Chinese authorities on Monday accused the U.S. of violating a recent trade pact that both agreed to in Geneva last month, as they dismissed President Donald Trump's allegation about Beijing breaching the agreement, a move that could signal a further escalation in trade tensions between the two countries, which could potentially jeopardize last month's tariff truce. China's Commerce Ministry accused the U.S. of violating a trade deal agreed in Geneva by imposing ... More additional chip restrictions and canceling Chinese student visas. In a press briefing, a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson dismissed Trump's comments accusing China of violating the agreement, saying Beijing has worked 'to strictly implement and actively safeguard the Geneva deal.' The spokesperson noted that China had acted in accordance with the deal to cancel or suspend 'relevant tariffs and non-tariff measures' it had taken as retaliation against the U.S. government's reciprocal tariffs. The spokesperson then accused the U.S. of introducing ' a number of discriminatory restrictive measures against China' after the talks, citing expanded export controls on AI chips and other chip-building technology. The official also criticized the U.S. government's crackdown on Chinese student visas, saying these actions violated the consensus reached between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in a phone call on January 17. The spokesperson then warned that if the U.S. continues to take actions that damage China, Beijing will 'take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.' In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump said: 'China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,' without specifying how it had done so. The president then signalled that the U.S. may retaliate against this alleged non-compliance, saying: 'So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!' In his post, the president claimed his tariffs had put China in 'grave economic danger' and he made a 'FAST DEAL' in Geneva, 'in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation.'
