Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced more than 130 agency offices around the world will close in order to streamline operations and align the department more closely with the administration's foreign policy objectives. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
RUBIO ANNOUNCES CLOSURE OF STATE DEPARTMENT EFFORT THAT 'WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD ALREADY'
"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."
Rubio wrote that an example of an out-of-control department is the Global Engagement Center (GEC) that he shuttered last week.
He said the office engaged with media outlets and platforms to censor speech it disagreed with, including that of President Donald Trump. The GEC has been accused by conservatives of censoring them too and had a budget of around $61 million with 120 people on staff.
Despite Congress voting to shutter it, the GEC simply renamed itself and continued operating as if nothing had changed, Rubio wrote.
The shake-up announcement comes days after a New York Times report outlining a State Department overhaul via a leaked draft executive order.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the overhaul aims to align the department more closely with the administration's foreign policy objectives. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
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Rubio's announcement did not say whether any consulates would shut.
Separately, under secretaries at the State Department are also being instructed to present plans to reduce their U.S. personnel in individual departments by 15% within 30 days, according to a report by The Free Press, citing a senior State Department official. Rubio shared the report on X. These include six top offices employing thousands of people, the outlet reported.
"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 wrote. "Starting this week, they will have one."
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
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