The Department of State will be adopting a more focused, slimmed-down set of priorities to serve American interests abroad under President Donald Trump.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a mission statement for his department on Wednesday morning, offering a set of three key questions that will inform his team's decision-making in foreign affairs over the next four years.
"Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?" Rubio wrote.
The memo outlines a slew of changes to the department's internal culture and policy priorities, such as working to "curb mass migration and secure our borders" and "stop censorship and suppression of information."
A particular point of change will be the State Department's renewed commitment to rewarding "performance and merit" with the immediate end of all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
Rubio further promised that the State Department will no longer promote "political and cultural causes that are divisive at home and deeply unpopular abroad," promising to return to the "basics of diplomacy."
The House Foreign Affairs Committee proposed similar concerns last week about the State Department's funding of cultural and educational programs in foreign countries that are unwanted by the recipient nations.
Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) said last week that closed-door interviews with mid-level grant writers have shown him a glut of questionable expenditures that fail to further any meaningful U.S. interests.
“We see these grants come through — provocative ones like drag shows in Ecuador, atheism in Nepal, condoms for the Taliban. These are real things,” Mast said. “And it makes you wonder, ‘OK, who signs off on that? Where in the process do you actually tie that to a broader U.S. objective that we need to be paying for contraception for the Taliban? Where do you tie that to national security interests?’ It’s informative for them to talk about that, but also good for them to realize there will be a change coming.”
Rubio was sworn into office as secretary of state on Tuesday following a unanimous 99-0 vote in the Senate to confirm his appointment the day before.
He has positioned himself as a loyal executor of Trump's broader "Make America Great Again" agenda, claiming that the president's decisive election victory proved the administration has a mandate for widespread reform.
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"In short, President Trump’s forward-looking agenda for our country and foreign relations will guide the State Department’s refocus on American national interests," Rubio concluded in his Wednesday memo. "Amid today’s reemerging great power rivalry, I will empower our talented diplomatic corps to advance our mission to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous."
The state secretary has also made a point to avoid weighing in on U.S. policy at home, stating that "domestic politics will be put aside" as he heads the department.
