WATCH LIVE: Rubio testifies on Capitol Hill for the 1st time since start of Iran war

By — Farnoush Amiri, Associated Press Farnoush Amiri, Associated Press By — Matthew Lee, Associated Press Matthew Lee, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-rubio-testifies-on-capitol-hill-for-the-1st-time-since-start-of-iran-war Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH LIVE: Rubio testifies on Capitol Hill for the 1st time since start of Iran war Politics Jun 2, 2026 9:25 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to face a litany of questions Tuesday about the Trump administration's fragile or stalling diplomatic efforts around the world when he appears for back-to-back hearings on Capitol Hill for the first time since the Iran war began. Rubio is expected to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 10 a.m. EDT. Watch live in our video player above. The Republican former senator will sit before House and Senate committees to make the State Department's annual budget request. But the focus is likely to shift quickly to the already unsteady ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which has been further tested in recent days by back-and-forth attacks. WATCH LIVE: Mullin testifies on DHS budget before Senate Appropriations subcommittee Cabinet members, including Rubio, have defended President Donald Trump's decision to launch the conflict despite promises over the years not to engage in "forever wars" in the Middle East. That work has been made more difficult by Trump's shifting goals for the conflict. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. While Rubio is testifying before Congress for the first time since the Iran war started on Feb. 28, he took part in a classified briefing for lawmakers days after the first U.S. and Israeli strikes. He faced Democrats' anger over the lack of congressional approval but strong support from most Republicans for taking action against one of America's oldest adversaries. Rubio will also testify before a House Appropriations subcommittee at 2 p.m. EDT. In the two months since the war began, however, a small but growing faction of Republicans have joined Democrats in questioning the astronomical price tag and overall economic consequences of the conflict as they head into midterm elections in the fall. The war has cut tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which 20% of the world's traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime, spiking gas prices. READ MORE: AP report: U.S. to drastically slash the number of embassies in Africa that can process visas Last month, the Senate advanced legislation for the first time that would have forced Trump to withdraw from the conflict after GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — fresh off a primary election loss in which Trump endorsed his opponent — joined Democrats in pushing it forward. READ MORE: U.S. bombs Iranian military sites a