U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a major reform of the State Department, primarily aimed at reducing and streamlining various structures within the agency.
Rubio stated that the U.S. foreign policy apparatus suffers from a system “where everything takes too long, costs too much, involves too many people, and often ends with the American people not getting the results they want.”
“That’s why I’m initiating a comprehensive reorganization of the State Department to address the constant growth of bureaucracy, duplication of functions, and control by interest groups that have crippled American foreign policy,” he announced.
While Rubio did not disclose full details of the reform, he outlined some of its key elements. Among them:
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The State Department will be reorganized based on a regional structure.
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Divisions and programs that “do not align with America’s core national interests” will be eliminated.
As an example, Rubio cited the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, calling it a tool for retaliating against “leaders of the anti-leftist movement in countries like Poland, Hungary, and Brazil.”
He also pointed to the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, claiming it facilitated illegal immigration into the U.S.
Rubio also mentioned that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) would be dissolved, with its responsibilities transferred to a new coordinator for foreign assistance and humanitarian affairs.
