Tammy Bruce (00:00):
… the world. Andrea Mitchell, nice to see you again here. Matt Lee, not so much, but there you go. No, what can I say?
Matt Lee (00:07):
I haven't even opened my mouth.
Tammy Bruce (00:08):
No, you haven't. And many of you, the benefit of being in the bullpen is that you got a very brief visit from the Secretary of State because Matt Lee encountered him somewhere in the hallway.
Matt Lee (00:23):
Right outside the bathroom.
Tammy Bruce (00:24):
And you invited him into the bullpen. And of course-
Andrea Mitchell (00:27):
Male privilege.
Tammy Bruce (00:28):
Yes, that's right. Male privilege right there. Invited him into… Because he knows the bullpen from the airplane, the Secretary of State likes talking with you, which is very apparent. To my chagrin, sometimes 30 minutes on the record, it makes a person like me very nervous. So he sees, he thinks, oh, this must be my friend. And so he follows him into the room with the bullpen. But I hope you enjoyed that.
Matt Lee (00:54):
Yes.
Tammy Bruce (00:55):
We're going to do more, hopefully more of that, and welcome aboard everyone. Again, thank you very much for being here. So I do have a couple announcements for you today. Since my last briefing, Secretary Rubio traveled to Brussels to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Conference. During the conference, he had important conversations with our NATO allies about increasing defense spending. Indeed, President Trump deserves credit for completely changing the conversation on NATO defense, and we have a secretary who knows how to have that conversation.
(01:27)
Since the November election, four NATO allies have publicly announced that they support President Trump's call for allies to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP. This is Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Another 10 allies have announced additional increases to their defense spending since President Trump took office in January. In the words of Secretary Rubio, we want NATO to be stronger. We want NATO to be more viable. And the only way NATO can get stronger and more viable is if our partners, the nation states that comprise this important alliance have more capability.
(02:02)
While in Brussels, Secretary Rubio also met with our Indo-Pacific partners about the threats the Chinese Communist Party poses to our security and prosperity. The region needs to be free from China's coercive and unfair trade policies. Our security depends on it.
(02:18)
Now here's an update from our response to the March 28th earthquake in Burma and Thailand. The United States has made $9 million available to support the people of Burma through our humanitarian partners. Our team of experts is in Burma, surveying conditions on the ground. They arrived on April 1st and deployed to the disaster zone on April 3rd. Our humanitarian response team helps ensure that support is directed to the most affected communities with the greatest needs. We are working with partner countries as well as international and local partner organizations to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. As the response shifts from rescue to emergency relief, the United States has support in place to help with emergency shelter, food, medical support, health access to clean water and sanitation.
(03:10)
And now here at home, President Trump met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, demonstrating that the United States is a great ally to Israel and that President Trump is the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. Among other topics, the two leaders discussed Gaza and the need for Hamas to release all the hostages. In this effort, we are guided by two principles. We stand with Israel and we stand for peace. Also, at this meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump reaffirmed that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. As the President announced, we are engaging in diplomacy right now to solve this matter. In the words of President Trump yesterday, doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And that is my announcements.
Matt Lee (04:02):
Thank you.
Tammy Bruce (04:02):
And it's great to see all of you here. We will begin, I don't know if it'll ever change, it may someday, to Matt Lee.
Matt Lee (04:09):
All right, thank you Tammy. I got a couple that are extremely brief. One, can you confirm that the three Americans who were convicted in Congo in this coup have been repatriated? The Congolese say they're back. I'm just wanting to know if you are able to say that they are back here.
Tammy Bruce (04:26):
I can tell you something about that.
Matt Lee (04:32):
Okay.
Tammy Bruce (04:32):
We have of course, as you know, as I like to remind people though, watching all around the world, the Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas. And we are aware, the United States government is, of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo transferring into US custody the US citizens who were detained in connection with the events of May 19th, 2024, and who previously faced the death penalty before their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. Now, of course, we refer you to the US Department of Justice in this regard for further information. And they are of course, they have been transferred, they're in our custody and we also strongly condemn the armed attacks of May 19th and support the DRC authorities in holding those responsible appropriately accountable. At the same time, we seek consistent, compassionate humane treatment and a fair legal process on behalf of those US citizens.
Matt Lee (05:34):
Okay. Secondly, the Russians are saying that there are going to be talks in Istanbul, these kind of embassy personnel and logistics talks in Istanbul on Thursday. Are you able to tell us anything about that? And I got one more, but it'll also be brief.
Tammy Bruce (05:53):
I thought you said two.
Matt Lee (05:53):
Well, three.
Tammy Bruce (05:53):
Three. So, it's two-
Matt Lee (05:53):
It'll be very brief.
Tammy Bruce (05:53):
Yes. For Matt two equals three.
Matt Lee (05:55):
And then I'll keep my mouth shut up.
Tammy Bruce (05:56):
All right. Well, sure. On April 10th, US and Russian delegations will meet for a second time in Istanbul to try to make progress on further stabilizing the operations of our bilateral missions. So that is happening in Istanbul. There are no political or security issues on the agenda, and Ukraine is not, absolutely not on the agenda, these talks are solely focused on our embassy operations, not on normalizing a bilateral relationship overall, which can only happen as we've noted once there's peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Matt Lee (06:36):
Okay, great. Thank you. And then last one-
Tammy Bruce (06:38):
He seems like so… He wants to keep going, I'm answering his questions. Yes, sir.
Matt Lee (06:42):
Can you give us any clarity on the cuts, the latest cuts, not including the Burma stuff, but the cuts to USAID and funding to the World Food Program that happened essentially over the weekend? Because I understand there may have been some changes to those cuts.
Tammy Bruce (07:02):
Well, yes. So let me get to those details because that is important. One thing we can say, because this is a large conversation and various different countries are involved. First of all, 85% of previously existing USAID programs with the World Food Program worldwide remain active and ongoing. So that's 85% when we're talking about the effort that the country has made and continues to make. It is inaccurate as some have intimated that USAID has defunded the World Food Program. That is not true. Or that we've broadly backed away from our commitments to providing lifesaving food aid. We've said from the beginning that our commitment to foreign aid remains. It may look different than it has in the past. But in this case, 85% of those USAID programs with the World Food Program worldwide remain active.
(08:05)
We have terminated a limited number of World Food Program programs based on specific country or program-level priorities. But what is the story here is that the largest group of World Food Program awards terminated were in Yemen and Afghanistan through an executive order that was issued based on concern that the funding was benefiting terrorist groups, including the Houthis and the Taliban. These concerns with UN funding have been documented and discussed for years, which is why USAID paused all food assistance in Northern Yemen through WFP specifically to mitigate any interference by the Houthis and has intermittently suspended food assistance across Afghanistan to mitigate Taliban interference.
(08:53)
Other awards were terminated because they provided cash-based assistance, which the administration is moving away from, given concerns about misuse and lack of appropriate accountability for American taxpayers here at home, of course, and the accountability they deserve. There were a few programs that were cut in other countries that were not meant to be cut, that have been rolled back and put into place. So when and if that happens, that's recognized and that has also been the case. With something as complicated as this framework we do what is necessary to maintain the commitments that fit within the framework of keeping America safe, secure, as well as making sure that they apply the nature of our priorities and values as well.
Matt Lee (09:40):
Can you say what country those were?
Tammy Bruce (09:42):
I can get back to you on that, but it's just a few. Again, the majority of which are Yemen and Afghanistan, certainly with the SIGAR report regarding Afghanistan and the Taliban, at least $11 million being siphoned or enriching the Taliban in the process of that food aid. All right. Any questions? Andrea Mitchell. Yes, ma'am.
Andrea Mitchell (10:07):
Thank you very much. You mentioned the Iran conversations between the president and the Prime Minister yesterday. Can you confirm what the Iranian Foreign Minister, Araghchi said which is that Steve Witkoff, the special envoy, will lead those talks and that they will be indirect, not direct as President Trump said? Or is there some clarification you can give us as to how the State Department sees these talks being composed?
Tammy Bruce (10:38):
Well, I can't confirm anything an Iranian authority is going to say. What I can tell you is what the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has said, is that Mr. Witkoff, Special Envoy Witkoff will be there. So he'll be present. And when it comes to the description of the event, I would refer you back to the President's remarks. That's who
Tammy Bruce (11:00):
… who I rely on.
Andrea Mitchell (11:00):
Can you define what is meant by direct talks-
Tammy Bruce (11:05):
I'm-
Andrea Mitchell (11:05):
… because the Iranians are insisting at the foreign minister level that they are indirect.
Tammy Bruce (11:08):
Sure. That's nice for the Iranians. I would refer back to the President of the United States, President Donald John Trump.
Andrea Mitchell (11:15):
And can I have one more subject?
Tammy Bruce (11:16):
Yes. Of course.
Andrea Mitchell (11:16):
Not four like-
Tammy Bruce (11:18):
You can also have more questions. Absolutely.
Andrea Mitchell (11:21):
The other thing I wanted to ask you about colleges, universities around the country, are saying that with little or no notice, to them or their students, there have been massive cancellations of student visas without explanations. In some cases, some of the students have said they are for reckless driving citations. These are not students who were involved in protests, not that that would necessarily justify it.
(11:46)
But just can you clarify the way these are being canceled? Is there a process to determine, is there a threshold for determining why a student visa would be canceled, and what are the criteria?
Tammy Bruce (12:04):
Well, we've never gone into the details of the visa process. We don't discuss individual visas because of the privacy issues involved. We don't go into statistics or numbers. We don't go into the rationale for what happens with individual visas.
(12:19)
What we can tell you is that the department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe and will continue to do so. The criteria as it is, is applied appropriately and that's the extent that … that's what we've been dealing with. And we're not inclined to answer those specifics, but I think the American people know, as we're seeing, that we take the border seriously, we take the visa process seriously.
(12:50)
And the number of revocations I can say is dynamic, which is why we don't give those numbers out. And again, we are not going to give statistics, only because of always the continuing fluidity of the situation when it comes to visas and the reasons they are revoked, which is personal and private.
Andrea Mitchell (13:09):
And to follow it with just the last question on this general subject-
Tammy Bruce (13:13):
You're beating Matt Lee when it comes to two being four now.
Andrea Mitchell (13:16):
… but the secretary's announcement, the announcement that came out the other day about the cancellation of passports holders from South Sudan, when South Sudan is in some considerable conflict right now. Between their leaders, there's a great deal of turmoil and violence in that country. What is the reason more broadly, not individual reasons, for canceling visas to passport holders from South Sudan when there is so much danger for anybody going back?
Tammy Bruce (13:51):
I have a few things for you on that. So enforcing our immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States. Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them. As South Sudan's transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle by not permitting the entry of an individual that they had confirmed and documented as a citizen, the United States Department of State has taken actions to revoke visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and restrict further issuance of visas to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.
(14:36)
We will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation. And Secretary Rubio has said it is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner. We are unwavering in our commitment to any illegal immigration and bolster America's border security.
(15:03)
We understand also that South Sudan has made a statement that they've agreed finally to accept the individual in question and we are aware of that remark. And they committed on April 8th to grant the individual permission to enter their country, and we look forward to the government of South Sudan following through on that remark. And we will then be prepared to review once again these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.
(15:38)
All right. Yes ma'am.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Thank you. You mentioned that some of the programs that were cut, the WFP programs, were not meant to be cut. Was that, just to clarify, from the programs that were cut over the weekend?
Tammy Bruce (15:51):
I'm sorry? It's like-
Speaker 2 (15:53):
You mentioned that [inaudible 00:15:54]-
Tammy Bruce (15:54):
That there were some that were rolled back, that were cut that shouldn't have been, yes.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Were those cut over the weekend or was that from before?
Tammy Bruce (16:01):
I don't have that detail for you, but I'm sure we can get it because I had many details, but that's one that I don't have. But I'll get it for you.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Thank you.
Tammy Bruce (16:08):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
And then the Saudi Foreign Minister is visiting the United States. Will Secretary Rubio meet with him, and if so, what does he hope to achieve from that meeting?
Tammy Bruce (16:18):
Yes, in fact he will be. He'll be meeting with him tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
And what does he hope to achieve from that meeting?
Tammy Bruce (16:24):
Oh, I'm not going to get ahead of the Secretary of State, but we look forward to seeing him tomorrow. All right. Yes?
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Hi, Tammy.
Tammy Bruce (16:31):
Hi.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Getting back to Iran, part of the reason that the administration cited in 2018, the first Trump administration, from withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal is that it wasn't comprehensive enough. It didn't cover militias. It didn't cover the missile program and a bunch of other of Iran's activities. Is the expectation that this new agreement would have to cover that?
Tammy Bruce (16:56):
Well, this is a meeting that's happening on Saturday. There's a meeting. There's no negotiations. This is a dynamic where the president has made very clear, and certainly the secretary has made very clear, that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
(17:18)
That I think is the focus right now. The nature of what's happened and Iran's current situation. I think the president's remarks yesterday speak for themselves and he's committed to diplomacy. He's spoken about wanting to have a deal with Iran to get this done, and now it's up to Iran. And if they don't want to, it will be very, very bad for them. So those are the two, I think, clear options here.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
This is an initial sort of feel out as to whether to progress to negotiations?
Tammy Bruce (17:47):
I think it's touching base. Yes, indeed. Again, it's not a negotiation, it's a meeting and that's what the commitment is.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
And finally, you'd mentioned that Steve Witkoff is going.
Tammy Bruce (17:58):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Is he leading the delegation on it?
Tammy Bruce (18:00):
I can't speak to that, but he will be there.
(18:02)
Yes, sir.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Thanks. Can I just follow up from Rich, when you're saying it's a meeting rather than a negotiation.
Tammy Bruce (18:07):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
The Iranian government has said that it's a matter of … they want sanctions relief. Is that something that the United States is prepared to discuss either at this meeting or in [inaudible 00:18:14]?
Tammy Bruce (18:14):
Well, again, I'm not going to get ahead of any kind of conversation or process, diplomatic considerations. Certainly I can't get ahead of a negotiation because this isn't one. So that's not something I can speak to.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
In terms of the goal, I know that you said not prohibiting Iran from having a nuclear weapon, but in terms of how that's achieved, I mean, there's been some talk in the administration. Is this complete dismantlement of the nuclear program or is it just verification that's not going to go for nuclear for military ends? Is there an end goal that the administration has when it comes to whether it's complete dismantlement?
Tammy Bruce (18:51):
Again, I can't speak to their considerations, the contemplations they have, the discussions they have. We do know that there is something very, very clear and distinct that is on the table that needs to be accomplished.
(19:09)
See now, because I have so many opinions and you're waiting, Sean is waiting for me to … We all have opinions. But what I can tell you is is that the very specific thing that needs to be accomplished, which would make the world a much safer place, is to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, that there is no room around that fact. And that is something worthy of focusing on at this moment.
(19:32)
Yes, Nadia?
Nadia (19:33):
Thank you. Tammy, I have two questions.
Tammy Bruce (19:34):
Yes, ma'am.
Nadia (19:34):
On the Iran-
Tammy Bruce (19:34):
No, you have seven. I'm sorry.
Nadia (19:34):
No, no, two.
Tammy Bruce (19:34):
All right.
Nadia (19:38):
Only two, I promise you. On the Iran talks, is this meeting primarily focusing on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons? Or are they going to discuss Iran's support for proxies in the region, considering there were reports that Iran stopped supporting the Houthis, or alerts, not supporting the Houthis. That's my first question.
Tammy Bruce (19:57):
Right. Again, this is not a negotiation. There aren't things being negotiated in that regard. This has been described to me as something that is a matter of determining what's possible in the conversations. It's a touchback and that's the extent of what will be happening.
(20:18)
Yes, yes?
Nadia (20:18):
Second question. I have two.
Tammy Bruce (20:19):
Oh, the second, the second. That's right.
Nadia (20:20):
Don't forget.
Tammy Bruce (20:20):
I'm sorry. Go ahead.
Nadia (20:22):
Okay. That's okay.
Tammy Bruce (20:22):
Yes, ma'am.
Nadia (20:22):
Second question on Gaza actually. The situation is horrific. There is no water, there is no electricity, there is no food for almost one month. This is a gross violation of international humanitarian law as you know. What is the United States is doing to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza?
(20:39)
And second, since you talked about the meeting between Netanyahu and secretary, any prospect of a cease fire that was discussed yesterday?
Tammy Bruce (20:48):
Our efforts to bring back the ceasefire that we were happy to have at the beginning of this before Hamas turned its back on the ceasefire, is something that the administration, that the president, and Secretary Rubio said we would want back. That there is nothing that is cut off in the sense of where we go from here. It is clear.
(21:15)
And the effort, as we are asked every briefing, which is appropriate because of the nature of the issue, is none of us … We are engaging in this to stop the suffering. When there is a resumption of a conflict, the nature of this conflict with so many hostages also still being held, it of course disrupts the humanitarian aid. And that is something that concerns all of us and that we seek to change.
(21:43)
There is one group that has broken cease fires, that continues for generations to move the suffering, and that is Hamas. It's a remarkable dynamic where you have multiple players here that are working
Tammy Bruce (22:00):
… working and constantly making an effort to stop the carnage and the suffering, and to stop the conflict on the ground so that humanitarian aid can flow, and Hamas seems to want nothing to do with that. They continue to go back to creating a framework of victims, constantly. So I would say that obviously our effort is to get a ceasefire on the ground again, specifically so we can get aid into the area, specifically so that we can discuss what the region understands, which is the need for a new way to move us out of this horrible cycle. And obviously, that's what we've been dealing with for generations. President Trump is determined to end it once and for all, as is Secretary Rubio. They have one term and this is why things have to move quickly. It never stops. Their efforts in the Middle East and on Gaza never stop. And that's what we hope for, and the results, hopefully, obviously is for peace on the ground, for humanitarian aid, and for Gazans and everyone in the region to have a future to look forward to that they can trust. Yes, sir.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
[inaudible 00:23:10]. Thank you, Tammy. Two more questions here on Ukraine, [inaudible 00:23:12].
Tammy Bruce (23:12):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
Can you please also confirm that there will be US-Ukraine dialogue negotiation this week in Washington? And any color you can offer, who's going to be involved, will they be in this building as well?
Tammy Bruce (23:22):
I can't speak to any conversation or discussion about Russia-Ukraine here.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
All right. Thank you. On Chinese involvement in Ukraine-Russia war, President Zelensky today posted a video suggesting that they captured two of Chinese nationals fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Russia. Does the secretary have any comment on that and does it change your view, your position on how to help Ukraine, beef up Ukraine's hands-
Tammy Bruce (23:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
… now that we know they're fighting against not one superpower-
Tammy Bruce (23:55):
It's disturbing. It's disturbing with North Korea participating. It's disturbing with the Chinese soldiers having been captured. We're aware of those reports that Ukraine captured two Chinese citizens fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine. China is a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine, China provides nearly 80% of the dual-use items Russia needs to sustain the war. 80% comes from China. As President Trump has said, continued cooperation between these two nuclear powers will only further contribute to global instability and make the United States and other countries less safe, less secure, and less prosperous. I think that's an understatement.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Can I just to follow up? Secretary spoke to us during the travel, he said that he [inaudible 00:24:50] gave some time to Russia to clear up its position in terms of whether or not they are serious about the peace talks.
Tammy Bruce (24:56):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
To the events of this weekend, them targeting Zelensky's hometown and other attacks, did those events contribute to the secretary's position on that?
Tammy Bruce (25:08):
Well, I know he loves talking to you guys on the trips. We were at NATO together and he appreciates that. And he had a press conference at the end of NATO where he did go into very specifics when he was asked about the timeline, is that we would know within a matter of weeks if Russia was serious about peace. He said, "Not months, not a year, but a matter of weeks," he said, "We would know." And I think that this goes to the argument that they've made, even the beginning of the talks, some of the summits with Russia, and the first summit was, as the secretary had noted, was to determine if they were serious. And so this, as I've mentioned, right, these are active men with a term in which to get this done. And plus the lives affected, we don't have time.
(26:02)
Every day, every week that goes by affects the quality of people's lives, and some people who are alive now will not be alive tomorrow. So it's held with urgency. It will be a matter of weeks, and you of course, you mentioned the attack on Kryvyi Rih, which is the, I guess, the hometown of President Zelensky. It was a Russian Federation ballistic missile strike in a residential neighborhood of that town. It is further underscores President Trump's urgent call for peace and he's affected by this. It's long time to stop the death and the destruction, and end this war. Just as we know, President Trump has been committed to finding and demanding the return of the missing or stolen Ukrainian children from Russia. So this is on top of the mind for President Trump and for Secretary Rubio. Yes, dear.
Jennifer (26:59):
Thanks, Tammy. Continuing on the two-question trend. First of all, an American teenager was shot and killed and two others were shot in the West Bank. Has the US called on the Israeli government to investigate their killings?
Tammy Bruce (27:10):
We are certainly aware of that dynamic. We send condolences to the families involved. These were teenagers. There is an investigation that is going on. We are aware of the reports from the IDF that this was a counterterrorism act. We need to learn more about the nature of what happened on the ground, but we're aware of that, yes.
Jennifer (27:32):
And then on the-
Speaker 7 (27:32):
[inaudible 00:27:33].
Jennifer (27:33):
… contract terminations this weekend, who signed off on those? Was it the secretary?
Tammy Bruce (27:37):
I'm sorry, the contract-
Jennifer (27:39):
On the foreign aid-
Tammy Bruce (27:39):
Oh, the foreign aid. Yes?
Jennifer (27:40):
… contract terminations. Is the secretary himself still canceling those contracts or has that been delegated elsewhere?
Tammy Bruce (27:48):
We know of course of his full involvement in the beginning. We know that the review had officially ended. We also know of his schedule and I've asked, specifically from his office as well, to get me that information because you and some others have also been asking now about the nature of how this is transpiring. My goal is to get a fuller view now that that review has ended and that we have bureaus here addressing issues regarding foreign aid, et cetera. And I think it's time now for a fuller understanding of that, and that's part of that, and so we'll get that back to you. But expect, my goal is to have a more comprehensive answer regarding now, the process now on the ground for us. All right.
Said (28:35):
Can I follow up on Jennifer's question?
Tammy Bruce (28:36):
Yes, certainly, Said.
Said (28:37):
Thank you very kindly. Now, when Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by the Israelis a couple years ago, the American security coordinator was involved in investigating and they drew a conclusion. My question to you is twofold on this issue regarding the boy. So first of all, is the American security coordinator for the West Bank, is he involved in this thing? Is he going to follow up? And my second question, has there been any calls to the family from this building or from the US ambassadors and so on, to learn the circumstances of what happened?
Tammy Bruce (29:12):
Well, again, there's things on the ground. We don't have the complete picture of what was going on on the ground. I know that we're aware of the reports. We certainly always are engaged in the nature of what's happening with American citizens, and that's the case here. And that's the extent of what I'm going to say. Yes, sir.
Speaker 8 (29:29):
[inaudible 00:29:29] India-
Tammy Bruce (29:29):
Right there, in the… Yes, go ahead. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
Thank you. Appreciate it. Two questions, I'll ask them back to back. Number one, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced earlier today that he would not participate, the UN would not participate in the resumption of IDF humanitarian aid delivery in the Gaza, because he felt the parameters were not sufficient, not appropriate. Would the State Department consider, or planning even, to step in to aid the IDF in humanitarian aid delivery, given the importance that the State Department is placing on that particular area? And the second question is, what does the State Department view as a positive role for Turkey in Syria?
Tammy Bruce (30:10):
Well, first of all, the reason there's aid issues and movement issues in Gaza is because of the resumption of the conflict. So I know we work through our partners on the ground. The fact is that if it was safe to move aid through Gaza, it would move. And at this point, that's clearly an assessment that it hasn't been safe. So I'm not going to speak about or presume to talk about what the State Department would do. Those are the decisions of the secretary and of the president, of the highest levels of this government, about how to move through that framework. So that's not something that I'll speculate on. And your second question was…
Speaker 5 (30:51):
What does the State Department view as a positive role for Turkey in Syria, given the president's-
Tammy Bruce (30:55):
Well, there-
Speaker 5 (30:56):
… reaffirmation of his affinity for President Erdogan?
Tammy Bruce (30:58):
Yes, I think I know a great deal, I think as we all do about Secretary Marco Rubio, but I'm not going to presume that I know how to speak for him when it comes to the notion of diplomatic decisions or maneuverings when it comes to the nature of what's going to be best for a region like that. Turkey is certainly an ally and a friend, but that is a conversation that belongs between leaders.
Speaker 9 (31:25):
Follow-up on Turkey.
Tammy Bruce (31:26):
Yes.
Speaker 9 (31:26):
[inaudible 00:31:26] please.
Speaker 10 (31:26):
May I follow-up on [inaudible 00:31:26]?
Tammy Bruce (31:26):
Yes, sir. Yes, sir, go ahead.
Speaker 6 (31:28):
Benjamin Netanyahu offered a video statement in which he outlined the terms that Israel would accept for an agreement with Iran. He said it had to be a Libya-style agreement where we would go in, quote, "Blow up the facilities, dismantle the equipment under American supervision and American execution." Is that a position that the Secretary Rubio agrees with? Is it a precondition by Israel that the US is willing to accept?
Tammy Bruce (31:56):
I can't discuss that because I wasn't in that room. I certainly don't speak for Israel or for the Prime Minister and his remarks about what's important to him. So I would leave that to the nature of the conversations at that level. Certainly not something for me to comment on here.
Speaker 6 (32:14):
When the President says that he would rather resolve this through diplomacy rather than the alternative-
Tammy Bruce (32:19):
Sure.
Speaker 6 (32:19):
… can you just spell out, what is the alternative? Is it a US military strike on Iran?
Tammy Bruce (32:23):
Well, I guess that's something that everyone's supposed to consider, right? The president has made himself very clear about what he prefers, and that's diplomacy and making deals, and he's been very successful at that. The world though, as we've seen, of course, seems to devolve into violence and that is something that he clearly has… Ending that violence and changing that trajectory is something that President Trump has made a hallmark of this last term of his, and it is a remarkable commitment. So I think that speculating or hypothesizing, in a world where it's dangerous when it comes to real life and
Tammy Bruce (33:00):
What's happening is not certainly something that any of us should do, but it's, I think, an important reminder that President Trump not only talks about diplomacy and what he prefers, but he acts on it as well. All right, yes, sir.
Speaker 11 (33:12):
Thank you, Tammy. Going back to Iran, you said that this is not a negotiation, but it's tax. Can you tell us what are you going to talk about with Iran? Are you going to set up a stage or are you going to set up a timeline or what are you negotiate with Iran?
Tammy Bruce (33:27):
The Omanis are hosting special envoy. Witkoff will be there. I do not know about the environment and how it will be arranged. I don't. It's a meeting and how the participants decide on how to frame that meeting is completely up to them.
Speaker 11 (33:44):
And can I ask a question on Syria? There is a lot of concerns about the Syrian government's approach towards the Kurdish and Jewish and other minority rights. Do you have any sorts of pressure on the Syrian government to behave according to international law and to take care about the minority groups?
Tammy Bruce (34:02):
I know that, and we've spoken about this here before, is that we expect the Syrian government to abide by human rights law, to abide by the common laws of what is a decent government, the nature of the choices we make. So that's not unusual. And they've had a recent government formation or advisory formation, which seemed to involve additional groups in Syria. But there's much more that have to be done that has not been done. And we are waiting to see them take more action. So obviously there's expectations that have yet to be met and so we're waiting to see what they're doing. When it comes to pressure, the pressure really is about whether or not a nation wants to be accepted within other nation states and within the world. I think that's certainly an indication here that's possible or not possible. Yes, sir?
Speaker 12 (35:03):
Thank you. You have been involved in helping start Kurdistan oil exports and that is much appreciated. But now there is a new problem, the oil exporting companies, including US companies say that Iraq is changing the contract unilaterally and exports can't resume until this is resolved. Are you concerned about this problem? Are you involved in trying to fix it?
Tammy Bruce (35:31):
That we'll have to take back when it comes to the details, all right? So that's Iraq and the oil, right? Let's get back to him on that. All right. Yes, go ahead.
Speaker 13 (35:40):
Thanks, Tammy. Just circling back to those latest cuts in foreign aid, you noted concerns about interference in Afghanistan and Yemen, but it was funding that the department initially allowed to continue because it was deemed to be life-saving. And there are other places, of course, where interference is still a concern that are still benefiting from USAID dollars. So is this a amendment or a change to the state department's initial promise to continue life-saving aid? Or should we expect other cuts where interference is a concern?
Tammy Bruce (36:09):
Well, waivers were issued. We know that, of course, but this was in the process of a review that was expected to take 90 days. It took less time. And in the process of the review, some things you want to have continue as you're reviewing them, as you're making a determination about whether or not it's where the money is going, if it does meet your criteria to continue. And that's what happened. There are some entities that got waivers that then the grants of the funding were cut because we went through the review and found that they should be cut. So this is also something that had to happen because there had been, who knows, I don't know, years, decades of no one auditing, no one checking, no one really knowing. And it just grew and grew and grew.
(36:56)
So this process of auditing and knowing where your money is being spent, most of us do this personally. We keep an eye on the bank account, we make a note of what's coming up and what the checks are that are coming in and we spend accordingly. So we are in a constant regular audit. That will always be the case now. So if you've got a dynamic where someone is passed through and is receiving the aid and is meeting their obligations, that's great. It doesn't mean we're going to look back in 25 years to see if they're still okay. This has to be a regular process with this kind of work that has been, yes, disruptive and difficult, but it has been important so that we can continue to do that work.
(37:36)
So I hope that answers your question because yes, there's aid that is going on now, has received waivers. Some of it, over time, it may be increased, it may be cut. It depends on the goals of the United States, our foreign policy goals, and the nature of how our money is being spent on the ground. All the way in the back, sir. White shirt with a little blue tie there.
Speaker 14 (37:57):
Thank you, Tammy. I would like to know Colombia has been at the center of diplomatic tension with the United States. At the beginning of this administration, we saw President Petro saying that he wasn't going to accept these deportation flights and then he changed his mind as President Trump said in 13 minutes. Now he's saying that… Well, Secretary Noem said that President Petro told her he was a friend of the cartels and that members of the Tren de Aragua need a lot of love. Now, President Petro says that is not true. What is the current state of that relationship between US and Colombia after those two episodes?
Tammy Bruce (38:36):
Well, I would refer you to the White House when it comes to the nature of a relationship. But other than that, I think we're going to bring that back when it comes to if there's been any actual response to those kinds of statements. We'll get back to you. But that's what I have there. Yes, sir. On the end here, sir.
Speaker 15 (38:57):
Thank you. This morning, as you are aware, President Trump and South Korea's acting President Han had a personal phone call and they discussed the South Korea's payment for hosting US forces in Korea. And so do you see any possibility that the State Department somehow engages in a renegotiation of the co-sharing deal that was actually signed last year? That was my first question.
Tammy Bruce (39:20):
Well, let me answer that because it'll be a short answer so I can't answer that. So I won't be discussing the nature of diplomatic conversations or anything of that nature or what choices we might make certainly as a government, but certainly not as the State Department. Second question?
Speaker 15 (39:37):
Second question is South Korea, as you are aware, is still facing a period of a leadership vacuum after President Yun's removed from office. So do you think that that period of a leadership vacuum will have some negative impact on the alliance between South Korea and the United States? Do you have any concern about it?
Tammy Bruce (39:58):
I know that our relationship with South Korea is strong and I know that as an ally that we are expecting them to follow certain rules and norms and we, of course, enjoy their allyship and we enjoy that relationship. We are getting here now…? All right, young lady in the back, maroon? Yes, go ahead. Let me just say, I've been told I tend to favor my right, which is true politically. I can't deny that. So my goal, I've been trying to think… And I'm left-handed funny enough, not that you could tell. Trying to move to this degree. But then also I know you're in the back, but you're in this room and straight down here. I got you earlier and yes.
Speaker 16 (40:49):
Thank you so much. Can you confirm that as the president said, these talks, Iran talks are direct because we heard from Iranian side immediately after that they are indirect? Do you find that concerning?
Tammy Bruce (41:00):
You're copying Andrea Mitchell. Well, I will again refer you simply back to the President's remarks and that is my North Star, President Donald Trump, not Iranian officials. All right. And that's going to be it today. Thank you everybody. I'll see you on Thursday. We'll see you again on Thursday this week. Thank you very much.
