OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:05 PM – Tuesday, April 22, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed on Tuesday that over 130 U.S. State Department offices around the world are being overhauled or shut down, arguing that many of them are redundant or stray away from America’s national interests.
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“Over the past 15 years, the Department’s footprint has had unprecedented growth and costs have soared,” Rubio wrote. “But far from seeing a return on investment, taxpayers have seen less effective and efficient diplomacy. The sprawling bureaucracy created a system more beholden to radical political ideology than advancing America’s core national interests.”
A State Department senior official also announced that at least 700 positions at the Washington, D.C., headquarters alone are expected to be eliminated — according to CNN.
“This approach will empower the Department from the ground up, from the bureaus to the embassies,” Rubio continued. “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.”
Rubio cited the recent closure of the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which was officially shut down last week, as a pertinent example.
He further contended that the GEC engaged in suppressing speech that it deemed unfavorable on social media platforms and within media outlets, disproportionately targeting conservative viewpoints.
The GEC held a budget of roughly $61 million, supporting 120 staffers.
Rubio continued, explaining that the majority of offices set to be closed are simply “human rights” and “democracy” promotion on the taxpayer’s dime, “even when they were in direct conflict with the goals of the Secretary, the President, and the American people.”
Additionally, he asserted that the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration directed millions in taxpayer funds to international organizations and NGOs that actively promoted large-scale migration globally, including at the U.S. southern border.
“The American people deserve a State Department willing and able to advance their safety, security, and prosperity around the world, one respectful of their tax dollars and the sacred trust of government service,” Rubio added. “Starting this week, they will have one.”
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