“There are many other wealthy countries in the world who should all be involved.

“We will do our best. We’ve already had more people there. We’re going to have more people there. We’re going to help as much as we can (but) it’s not the easiest place to work … they have a legion that doesn’t like us,” Rubio said.

On Tuesday, a former US Agency for International Development official told the BBC the closure of the agency, led by billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk, means the White House cannot send a U.S. team to save lives immediately after the March 28 earthquake.

The disaster killed more than 3,000 people.

In such an earthquake, the United States can usually deploy up to 200 rescue workers and sniffing dogs with professional equipment and is often the largest and best equipment in the local foreign response team.

Last week, the State Department said three teams of consultants in the area were sent to the disaster area.

Rubio spoke to journalists at a NATO meeting in Brussels, blaming Myanmar’s military regime lacked access, although the State Department said earlier this week that the country had filed a formal request for assistance.

Former U.S.A.D. officials said their work was seen as apolitical and they had previously entered countries considered politically hostile.

“It will hinder our reaction anyway,” Rubio said.

“That is, we are willing to continue to help in the humanitarian crisis. Other countries need to do the same. China is a very wealthy country. India is a wealthy country. There are many other countries in the world and everyone should join.”

China and India were among the first teams to have teams in Myanmar, according to former U.S. humanitarian officials.

Rubio dismissed the narrative of humanitarian aid experts who said the inability to deploy a large U.S. rescue team was due to cuts by the United States Agency for International Development.

“These people made hundreds of millions of dollars in these NGOs (nGOs) around the world, they stood up, they were overwhelmed by American taxpayers’ money, and then we had to spend $1 billion to make $10 million for people.

“We are not going to fund these global NGOs around the world. We are not doing that.

Rubio added: “We are ready to help and the right NGOs in governments that provide assistance and the appropriate NGOs. We will be there, we will be helpful (but) there are many other wealthy countries who should also be involved and help…we will do our best,” Rubio added.

As the Myanmar earthquake emerged, the White House reportedly tried to deploy a Disaster Aid Response Team (DART) from the U.S. — but could not do so because the Trump administration’s cuts canceled logistical contracts and fired officials overseeing such deployments, according to former officials.

After President Trump targeted foreign aid on his first day in office, Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts were led by Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling it “industry” and in many cases “opposite to American values.”