Rubio Details Plan to Cut Bureaucracy and Waste at State Department

The offices of diversity and women’s issues are on the chopping block as the department streamlines.

The State Department building in Washington on Nov. 13, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The State Department may soon say goodbye to its Office of Diversity and Inclusion and its Office of Global Women’s Issues.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 29 that he has sent Congress a plan to reorganize the department as part of an effort to cut bureaucracy and wasteful spending.

The reorganization would lead to the elimination or consolidation of more than 300 offices.

“Over the past quarter century, the domestic operations of the State Department have grown exponentially, resulting in more bureaucracy, higher costs, and fewer results for the American people,” Rubio said in a post on X.

He went on to say that the department “must move at the speed of relevancy” and announced in April a broad reorganization of the department to better achieve that goal.

“Today, we took the next step in that process by notifying Congress of how we plan to do that,” Rubio said. “The plan submitted to Congress was the result of thoughtful and deliberative work by senior department leadership. We have taken into account feedback from lawmakers, bureaus, and long-serving employees.”

He looks to have the reorganization done by July 1. Congressional approval would not be needed for the revamp.

Rubio also said that “the reorganization plan will result in a more agile department, better equipped to promote America’s interests and keep Americans safe across the world.”

The plan includes eliminating the Office of Global Criminal Justice, which “advises the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights on issues related to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide” and “helps formulate U.S. policy on the prevention of, responses to, and accountability for mass atrocities,” according to the State Department.

It would also include shuttering the Office of Management Strategy and Solutions and the Bureau of Global Talent Management.

The former “catalyzes strategic insights and solutions to help improve the management platform and advance foreign policy goals,” while the latter “strives to recruit, retain, and sustain a diverse, talented, and inclusive workforce that is fully prepared to advance U.S. national security interests and American values in every corner of the world,” according to the department.

The changes come as the State Department has made other major moves, such as Rubio’s announcement on May 28 that it “will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”

The department has also paused student visa appointments as part of an effort to identify foreign students it says have engaged in anti-Israel activism.

“We are using and will continue to use every tool in our tool chest to make sure we know who it is who wants to come into this country and if they should be allowed to come in,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on May 29. “Every sovereign nation has a right to secure its borders and to make sure they know who is in their nation and if they are safe to be here.”