Rubio Requests Patience and Trust from U.S.A.I.D. Worker

During his speech at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, the Secretary of State highlighted how foreign aid is perceived as one of the government's least favored expenditures.

This week, Secretary Marco Rubio has been traveling across Latin America alongside Michael Crowley, embarking on a diplomatic mission.

On Wednesday, Rubio engaged with a representative from the United States Agency for International Development, expressing that foreign assistance is regarded as a particularly unpopular area of government spending, and its justification has grown more challenging.

During a private embassy session, he elaborated on his backing of the Trump administration's phased reduction of U.S.A.I.D.'s operations, in response to a query just as thousands of its employees overseas were directed to return home to the States.

The event, a common feature known as a 'meet and greet' held for visiting secretaries of state, was not open to the media, though The New York Times managed to obtain selected excerpts from the transcript.

Mr. Rubio's remarks revisited themes he has addressed publicly of late, though during these interactions he seemed to express some empathy toward the agency’s plight.

In response to a question from a cordial but worried U.S.A.I.D. mission leader in Guatemala, Rubio found himself balancing his defense of foreign aid—calling it crucial—against the backdrop of President Trump’s policies aimed at scaling down the agency.

Rubio also appeared to recognize the emotional turmoil among the diplomatic community he currently oversees. He conveyed to Mr. Cruz-Hubbard, 'I'm aware it's difficult to seek your trust and patience. This is a new role for me, and for you to rely on someone unfamiliar is understandably daunting.'