Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced chants from protesters urging him to "stop killing Cubans" and "Let Cuba live!" as he entered a Senate briefing room Tuesday. The protesters confronting Rubio were swiftly removed from the room after also telling him, "Repent Marco Rubio. God will forgive you for your sins."
Arrests Outside the Hearing
Outside the Senate briefing room, a separate group of protesters was arrested while chanting slogans including "Rubio lies. People with AIDS die" and "One child dies every 30 mins." The demonstrators were protesting the lack of funding for PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).
Testimony Before Congress
Rubio was scheduled to provide testimony before Congress at 10 a.m. in the briefing room where the initial protest took place. Despite the arrests, a small number of other protesters who were not detained found seats in the back of the room to observe Rubio's testimony.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions over U.S. foreign aid funding, particularly for global health initiatives like PEPFAR, which has faced proposed budget cuts under the current administration.
