According to CNN, a Congressional hearing starting on Tuesday will question Secretary of State Rex Tillerson about conflicting reports on foreign affairs, the unpopular budget of the Trump administration and the administration’s relationship with Russia, including his personal links to Moscow.
Members of the Senate and House of Representatives will grill Tillerson in four hearings this week. He is yet to publicly testify at Capitol Hill following his confirmation hearing in January, the report said.
Tillerson's ties with Moscow
That particular hearing centered on Russia, as both Democrats and Republicans took turns to question the former Exxon Mobil boss over his close ties to Russia.
There were fears that Tillerson would be too mild towards a country with a history of taking an opposing side to the United States.
A total of 43 Democratic caucus members voted a “no” against Tillerson during his confirmation. It was the largest negative vote for a nominee sponsored by the State in decades.
Many Senators have indicated interest to grill Tillerson about his opinion on ties with Moscow. Congress could pass a vote on new sanctions on Russia early this week.
Unsatisfactory hearing
Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat and member of the Senate Relations Committee told reporters that he has not heard much from the Secretary of State, and was not satisfied with what he heard from Tillerson during his confirmation hearing in January.
Tillerson is billed to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday. He will also appear before the House Foreign Affairs and appropriations committee on Wednesday. The Secretary of State will respond to questions bordering on President Donald Trump’s unpopular budget to the administration’s and his own ties to Moscow.
Administration's stance on Arab states disputes
Lawmakers are interested in knowing the administration’s stance after President Trump seemed to be on the side of Saudi Arabia and its Gulf partners in a rift with Qatar, conflicting with Tillerson’s move to ease tension between the US allies, sources said.
In an interview, Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat told CNN that the whole world has no knowledge of US position with respect to the rift between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Qatar.
Senator Murphy is also a member of the foreign relations committee.
The legislators have also vowed to thoroughly grill the Secretary of State about the administration’s budget proposal, which drastically cuts spending on Foreign Aid and diplomacy and sharply increased military spending. Some members of Congress have criticized the proposal and described it as “dead on arrival.”
