U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared a departmental shakeup, claiming the current administration is anti-American, stifles innovation, and isn’t accountable.
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Reportedly 132 domestic offices, 700 in the nation’s capital, and departments dealing with war crimes and international conflicts would be impacted by the massive reorganization that begins on Tuesday.
According to Rubio, the Department of State has been unable to carry out even the most fundamental diplomatic duties for quite some time, and the size and expense to the American people have increased dramatically over the last fifteen years.
Instead of a shortage of resources or committed talent, he blamed a system that makes everything too complicated, expensive, and time-consuming.
Bureaus and offices compete for a spot on the approval chains for even the most routine communications, according to the Secretary, and then they settle on wordy, meaningless drafts.
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There are hundreds of requests for permission flooding the inboxes of senior officials, and Rubio is worried that driven and creative employees may have their ideas watered down.
He was critical of the ways in which bureaucratic infighters and radical ideologues have found ways to implement their own agendas, even when they conflict with the president’s and harm American interests.
Using the now-defunct Global Engagement Center (GEC) as an example, Rubio said that it collaborated with various media and platforms to silence dissenting voices, including the president.
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He made notice of the fact that “American Foreign Policy” had been hampered by the bureaucracy, duplication of tasks, and capture by special interests, and he announced that a thorough reorganization of the Department was underway to solve these issues.
According to Rubio, the restructuring will make sure that U.S. embassies and regional offices have what they need to promote American interests overseas by streamlining and improving region-specific duties.
The elimination of non-statutory programs that are not in line with the United States’ fundamental national interests and the elimination of unnecessary offices were both stated by the Secretary.
Regional bureaus will also be responsible for implementing U.S. foreign policy in their respective geographic areas and will combine all non-security foreign aid.
According to Rubio, the Bureau of African Affairs would be in charge of matters pertaining to Africa, while the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment will be in charge of economic policies.
Since then, the Under Secretary for International Security and Arms Control has consolidated the duties of providing security assistance and regulating the arms trade.