On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping reform of the State Department. The goal is to reduce staff in the U.S. by 15 percent, closing and merging more than 100 offices worldwide, as part of the “America First” agenda so dear to the Trump administration.
“We cannot win the battle for the 21st century with bloated bureaucracy that stifles innovation and misallocates scarce resources,” Rubio said in a department-wide email obtained by AP. “That is why, under the leadership of President Trump and at my direction, I am announcing a reorganization of the Department so it may meet the immense challenges of the 21st Century and put America First.”
Plans include downsizing 734 offices to 602, as well as transitioning 137 offices to another location within the Department to increase its efficiency. It is unclear whether the reorganization will be implemented through an executive order or other means. The plans come a week after the AP learned that the White House Office of Management and Budget proposed reducing the State Department’s budget by nearly 50 percent and eliminating funding to UN and NATO offices.
Agency spokeswoman Tammy Bruce reiterated that “sweeping changes will empower our talented diplomats” but would not result in the immediate dismissal of personnel.
Among the initiatives that will be cut will be the Office of Global Women’s Issues, as well as the agency’s efforts on behalf of diversity and inclusion programs. An office charged with providing specific expertise in war zones will be eliminated, while others focused on human rights and justice will be downsized or merged with other sections of the department. At the moment, the future of U.S. embassies around the world–and particularly those in Africa that are also at risk of closure–is unclear.
Meanwhile, Democrats have criticized the initiative promoted by Rubio, calling it the latest attempt by the Trump administration to dismantle “vital components of American influence” on the world stage.
The changes announced by the State Department come at a time when the Trump administration has cut jobs and funding in several agencies, from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services.
In foreign policy, in addition to dismantling USAID, the administration has also moved to cut funding to other so-called “soft power” institutions, such as the media, including Voice of America, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Asia and Radio/TV Marti.
