Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State for Florida, said on Tuesday, “The Trump administration will reorganize the State Department in order to eliminate some offices they consider redundant and reduce programs which it believes do not align with U.S. interests.”
Rubio, in a press release, said that the “America First” initiative of President Donald Trump would empower the Department.
Rubio stated, “Region-specific functions would be consolidated to increase functionality. Duplicate offices would be eliminated, and non-statutory programs misaligned to America’s core interests and national will cease to exist.”
He added that the work previously done by the Under Secretary of Civilian Security, Human Rights, and Democracy will now fall under a new Coordinator of Foreign Assistance and Humanitarian Affairs.
Rubio, also serving as administrator of the USAID administration that was gutted, criticised the department’s rapid growth, calling it “bloated and bureaucratic” in the new era where great powers are competing.
The broad reorganization follows Trump’s February order to revamp the U.S. Foreign Service, the country’s diplomatic corps, to ensure that it adhered to his foreign policy agenda. In March, U.S. officials said that the department also planned to close nearly a dozen consulates.
Rubio did not specify which consulates would be closed in his announcement.
