By Jim Thomas | Thursday, 16 April 2026 05:15 PM EDT
Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s “trade over aid” initiative on Thursday, stating that deeper commercial ties benefit partners across the globe.
A former Republican senator from Texas who served as U.S. ambassador to NATO from 2017 to 2021, Hutchison made the remarks during a recent discussion on “American Agenda.”
Her endorsement came as the Trump administration accelerated efforts to build international support for a policy it describes as a break from decades of grant-based foreign assistance.
“I think it is excellent because, of course, trade is so important for all of us,” Hutchison said. “It’s good for both sides of the Atlantic and both sides of the Pacific and both sides of our country, when we can do more in buying products and buying arms, and having those trade relationships.”
The initiative is moving swiftly.
In an April 15 cable, Rubio ordered U.S. diplomats worldwide to deliver the message at the highest appropriate level in their respective countries and secure signatures by April 20 for a joint declaration ahead of the initiative’s introduction at the United Nations later this month.
The Trump administration frames the push as an opportunity to leverage the U.N. system to “promote America First values and create business opportunities for U.S. companies.”
Mike Waltz, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, previewed the approach before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stating that the Trump administration is “heavily engaging the private sector” with goals of lowering barriers to capital, driving foreign investment, and creating jobs rather than dependence.
The initiative is part of a broader restructuring of U.S. foreign assistance, with the State Department announcing that as of July 1, 2025, USAID will officially cease implementing foreign assistance programs, transferring them to the State Department.
However, not all observers expect a smooth reception at the United Nations. Sam Vigersky, an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former senior humanitarian adviser to the U.S. mission to the United Nations, criticized the initiative as “undermining the U.N.” and noted that based on his experience with diplomatic outreach, it would not be well received.
