Rubio orders massive 'America First' overhaul of US State Department

WASHINGTON

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday his plans to impose a sweeping reorganization of the US State Department to align with President Donald Trump's "America First" policies, claiming the agency is in dire need of a shake-up following “decades of bloat and bureaucracy."

The overhaul is expected to take months to implement. It comes as Trump continues to pursue his foreign policy goals that have so far included a sweeping crackdown on all forms of immigration to the US, a global trade war that has sent markets plummeting, and a policy realignment that has prompted longtime international allies to reassess their ties with Washington.

"Over the past 15 years, the Department’s footprint has had unprecedented growth and costs have soared. But far from seeing a return on investment, taxpayers have seen less effective and efficient diplomacy," Rubio said in a statement. "The sprawling bureaucracy created a system more beholden to radical political ideology than advancing America’s core national interests."

A new organizational chart circulated by the State Department shows that the bureau that focuses on international human rights and democracy would be downgraded while the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy would be shuttered alongside the Office of Global Women’s Issues.

The chart appears to indicate that global health would instead be overseen by an ambassador-at-large operating under the undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment. No successor office for women's issues appears in the State Department's new organizational chart.

"This approach will empower the Department from the ground up, from the bureaus to the embassies. Region-specific functions will be consolidated to increase functionality, redundant offices will be removed, and non-statutory programs that are misaligned with America’s core national interests will cease to exist," said Rubio.

"Under President Trump’s leadership, we have a commander in chief committed to putting America and Americans first. As his Secretary of State, I am confident a reformed State Department will meet the moment and help make our country great once again," he added.

Details on how the overhaul will be implemented remained sparse, but the department said it would be executed "methodically over the next several months."

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said this is a reorganization plan, and it would not result in the immediate dismissal of personnel.

“It’s not something where people are being fired today. They’re not going to be walking out of the building. It’s not that kind of a dynamic. It is a roadmap. It’s a plan," Bruce told reporters.

She said there may be certain things that could change.

"We all know that change is difficult, but in this particular case, it had to happen because of the bulk, because of the unsustainability of the size of the government, and that's what we're doing," she added.