Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on SiriusXM on Monday to make it clear that he said he was the US stance on foreign aid under the current administration.

Talk about SiriusXM’s “The David Webb Show” Rubio address Concerns about foreign aid. Rubio told guest host Scott Jennings that the US will maintain its commitment to essential humanitarian efforts, but will reduce spending on programs that do not meet strict standards of effectiveness and need. Ta.

“We are not separated from foreign aid. We are separated from stupid foreign aid. It’s stupid and wastes the money of American taxpayers. We’re going to continue doing them. There is no,” Rubio said. Rubio said it supports successful programs by addressing concerns about the US role in global health initiatives, such as the President’s Emergency Plan for USAID’s AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

“We are not separated from foreign aid. We are silly to waste the money of American taxpayers, and we are separated from stupid foreign aid.”

– @secrubio Discuss foreign aid @scottjenningsky In @davidwebbshow

(@siryuusxm ch. 125) pic.twitter.com/odqujc19ci

– SiriusXm Patriot (@siriusxmpatriot) February 10, 2025

“I’m a supporter of Pepfer. I was in Congress. I’m now as Secretary of State. That’s a program we want to continue. Obviously, we’re going to ask questions about it. Look, If Pepfar works well, it should be smaller over time, and it’s a program that isn’t big, right? Because you’re preventing HIV. You’re preventing HIV from spreading, so the amount of virus is People aren’t testing positive because it decreases. They’re not telling them that to their kids,” Rubio said when Jennings asked about programs like Pepfer and other life-saving medical initiatives.

Rubio said there is hope that such programs should ideally be reduced over time.

“So ideally, it’s a program that shrinks and doesn’t expand over time, because more and more people will acquire HIV or communicate it to their children. That’s always a goal, and AIDS. As a generation that wasn’t there, there were no children born with HIV. And – but that was a program I supported and we want to continue doing it. Are people going to starve and die? Are we going to have hunger? Is it going to destabilize the country in a way that is negative in our national interests and open the door for radical jihadists and others to take advantage of it ? We’ll continue with them,” Rubio said.

However, Rubio said the qualifications for humanitarian assistance need to be redefine.

“The problem is that the definition of humanitarians has expanded beyond that to all sorts of things that make no sense. That doesn’t mean they’re bad ideas. Someone should do that. You should not be just an American taxpayer,” Rubio said. “That’s what we’re experiencing and identifying now. By the way, we’ve issued a waiver that allows us to continue all of these lifesaving programs, and obviously you’ll be resuming your payment program. There is always a pause or hiccup about how, but it all takes care of them very quickly here and those programs continue.” (Related: Joni Ernst said USAID “abuses the system” and threatens her agency with wanting transparency.)

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, chair of the Government Efficiency Bureau, have begun the process of dismantling USAID by planning to integrate its functions into the State Department. Musk said their decision led to the closure of USAID, with its staff moving towards telecommuting and Rubio intervening as proxy director.

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