Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s proposed overhaul of the State Department won public praise from Republicans. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to implement.
Rubio said Tuesday that the effort is intended to reduce bureaucracy and refocus the department on its “essential diplomatic mission in this new era of great power competition.”
While the proposal didn’t go as far as some had feared, Rubio recommends eliminating several human rights-centric bureaus, as well as offices and programs focused on advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. Rubio also proposes establishing a new office handling emerging threats.
Rubio will be able to do much of this without congressional approval, especially administrative changes like shifting reporting lines for some senior-level officials.
But getting buy-in from Congress on the rest will be challenging. Lawmakers from both parties are still waiting for key details about the proposal. And Senate Democrats have leverage with the annual State Department authorization bill, typically a bipartisan effort.
What Republicans are saying: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch (R-Idaho) praised the plan and pledged to help make it a reality.
“Change is not easy, but President Trump and Secretary Rubio have proposed a vision to remake the State Department for this century and the fights that we face today, as well as those that lie ahead of us,” Risch said in a statement.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce described the document as more of a “roadmap” and said it would not result in immediate firings. This wasn’t the case when the Trump administration shuttered USAID and folded it into the State Department and laid off thousands of employees.
The department’s annual authorization bill will be the vehicle for the key fights related to Rubio’s consolidation effort. Separately, Congress will use the FY 2026 appropriations process to hash out State Department funding levels. Last week, it was revealed that the Trump administration wants to slash State’s budget by half, including closing dozens of embassies and consulates.
But Republicans will be in a bind — especially because they’ve historically supported many of the programs Rubio now wants to cut. For example, the Office of Global Women’s Issues would be shuttered under the reorganization plan.
The view from Dems: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the Foreign Relations Committee’s top Democrat, warned that any structural changes “must be carefully weighed with the real costs to American security and leadership.”
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), the top Democrat on the appropriations subcommittee for the State Department, said Rubio was “once one of the strongest advocates for American diplomacy, leadership, and engagement around the world,” but is now presiding over “the continued weakening of the State Department.”
