US state department cleaning house in line with Trump agenda

Washington — The Trump administration is reorganising the state department to eliminate offices it considers redundant and cut some programmes it says do not align with US interests, secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.

“This approach will empower the department from the ground up, from the bureaus to the embassies,” Rubio said in a statement, describing the moves as part of President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.

“Region-specific functions will be consolidated to increase functionality, redundant offices will be removed, and non-statutory programmes that are misaligned with America’s core national interests will cease to exist,” Rubio said.

Work that fell to the under secretary for civilian security, human rights and democracy will now be placed under a new coordinator for foreign assistance and humanitarian affairs, he added.

Rubio, who now also serves as administrator for the gutted USAID administration, criticised the department’s growth over the years, calling it “bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission in this new era of great power competition.”

The broad reorganisation comes after Trump in February ordered a revamp of the US Foreign Service — the country's diplomatic corps — to ensure it followed his foreign policy agenda. US officials in March said the department was also preparing to shut down nearly one dozen consulates.

Rubio’s announcement did not say whether any consulates would shut.

Reuters