In a rebuke to what the liberal media reports say, State Marco Rubio stated that President Trump’s plan to overhaul the State Department to eliminate wasteful programs is fake news.
See the tweet below.
Rubio quickly dismissed reporting on the plan as “fake news” in a social media post, writing, “The nytimes falls victim to another hoax.”
The State Department similarly disputed the report, with a spokesperson telling Newsweek the reporting is “entirely based on a fake document.”
The ambitious proposal would slash Africa operations, end climate change initiatives, and require diplomats to align with Trump’s America First policies – cleaning house at an agency long criticized for globalist agendas and ineffective spending.
A leaked draft executive order revealed the Trump administration aims to implement a “disciplined reorganization” of the State Department.
The sweeping changes would drastically reduce the agency’s budget by nearly half while closing numerous embassies and consulates deemed non-essential to American interests.
The proposed overhaul targets programs that conservatives have long viewed as promoting leftist agendas abroad at taxpayer expense.
Under the plan, climate change initiatives, refugee programs, and so-called “democracy promotion” efforts would be eliminated, shifting focus back to core American diplomatic concerns rather than global social engineering.
Career bureaucrats at the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. face significant staff reductions.
The outline order introduces new hiring criteria requiring diplomats to demonstrate “alignment with the President’s foreign policy vision.”
This move aims to ensure that America’s diplomatic corps actually represents American interests rather than globalist ideologies.
Despite these denials, multiple sources confirm the draft identifies areas ripe for reform.
The Bureau of African Affairs would be closed, and “nonessential” embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa would be shut down by October 1.
This is fake news. The @nytimes falls victim to another hoax. https://t.co/hXSiV1t9HC
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 20, 2025
Rather than maintaining costly permanent diplomatic missions, focused teams would be deployed for specific objectives—a more efficient approach to a region where billions in aid have produced little return on investment.
The plan would also reform educational programs that have drifted from their original purpose.
The prestigious Fulbright scholarship would be redirected to focus on national security studies at the master’s level, while diversity-focused fellowships like the Rangel and Pickering programs would be terminated.
These changes align with efforts to end controversial DEI initiatives that conservatives argue prioritize identity politics over merit and American interests.
The plan also includes voluntary separation options through September 30, allowing career diplomats who cannot align with America First priorities to transition out of government service.
Perhaps most innovative is the proposal to incorporate artificial intelligence for “policy development and review” and “operational planning.”
This modernization effort could streamline diplomatic operations while reducing dependency on a bloated bureaucracy that has often worked against presidential directives under previous Republican administrations.
For conservatives long frustrated by State Department resistance to America First policies, this reorganization represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform an agency that has expanded far beyond its core mission.
By eliminating wasteful programs, reducing unnecessary foreign outposts, and ensuring diplomatic personnel actually support presidential priorities, Trump’s plan could finally align American diplomacy with the interests of American citizens.
