In his first day back in Washington after announcing his run for the presidency, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio waded in on international issues dealing with Iran, Israel and Cuba, pushing back against actions the administration has taken.
In a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio joined with his colleagues in passing a bill that demands Congress have a say in the oversight of the nuclear deal the White House is negotiating with Iran.
The committee, which also includes presidential competitor Rand Paul, R-Ky., unanimously approved the bill, which now goes to the full Senate.
Rubio, a Republican from West Miami who on Monday announced his run for the presidency, went along with his colleagues and mostly remained out of the discussion. He did, however, say the Senate should push harder to protect Israel from Iran and its leaders.
While the committee's task drafting the bill was difficult, Rubio said there were bigger issues at play.
“I’m even more concerned about not simply destroying the delicate balance of this bill – I’m concerned about the destruction of Israel,” he said. “And I’ll tell you why I’m concerned about the destruction of Israel.”
He went on to recite several belligerent statements or tweets made by Iranian leaders toward Israel.
Said Rubio: “I think at some point when somebody keeps saying they want to destroy you, you should take them seriously.”
Rubio had wanted an amendment that would require the president to certify to Congress that Iran’s leaders have publicly accepted Israel’s right to exist. The bill that passed out of committee didn’t go that far but did include some language seeking protections for Israel.
“I think that’s better than not having it in there at all,” he said, but added: “This is an issue we’re going to have to talk about on the floor.”
Rubio also weighed in on the decision by the White House to remove Cuba from its state sponsors of terrorism list.
“The decision made by the White House today is a terrible one, but not surprising, unfortunately,” he said in a statement. “Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism. They harbor fugitives of American justice, including someone who killed a police officer in New Jersey over 30 years ago. It’s also the country that’s helping North Korea evade weapons sanctions by the United Nations.”
The action, he said, “sends a chilling message to our enemies” that the “White House is no longer serious about calling terrorism by its proper name.”
Comments