Rubio announces major State Department overhaul cutting human rights offices

Secretary of State Marco Rubio initiates restructuring plan to streamline operations and reduce bureaucracy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on April 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday introduced a sweeping restructuring of the State Department, aimed at cutting down what he called a bloated and ineffective bureaucracy. The plan, which reduces the total number of State Department offices and eliminates key divisions related to democracy and human rights, marks one of the most significant reorganizations of the agency in recent history.

The announcement comes as part of Rubio’s broader campaign to refocus American foreign policy in an era increasingly defined by competition with China. The Rubio State Department restructuring is designed to scale back the reach of programs seen by conservatives as promoting left-wing ideologies abroad and to streamline the department for more direct engagement in great-power politics.

Rubio calls current structure 'bloated' and ineffective

“In its current form, the Department is bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission in this new era of great-power competition,” Rubio said in a statement released Tuesday.

He added that the department’s expansive organizational structure had diverted focus away from America’s core national interests, often in favor of what he described as "radical political ideology." Rubio’s rhetoric echoes long-standing conservative critiques that the State Department had become too focused on global human rights campaigns, labor advocacy, and democratic reforms — efforts they argue lack strategic focus in the current geopolitical climate.

Elimination of key human rights office

A central piece of Rubio’s restructuring plan is the elimination of the under secretary of state position responsible for civilian security, democracy, and human rights. This office, previously a linchpin of U.S. diplomatic engagement on human rights and governance issues, will be absorbed into a newly established Office of Coordination for Foreign Assistance and Humanitarian Affairs.

The new office will take over several responsibilities previously held by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency whose budget and mission were significantly reduced during the early years of the Trump administration. The reshaped entity will also include a rebranded bureau focusing on “democracy, human rights and religious freedom” — replacing the existing emphasis on labor rights and worker protections.

Labor and war crimes advocacy sidelined

Another major change in the Rubio State Department restructuring is the sidelining of labor-related diplomacy. The current Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor — which regularly issues reports on the treatment of workers and labor unions around the globe — will no longer include labor in its core mission.

Equally absent from Rubio’s reform is the Office of Global Criminal Justice, commonly known as the war crimes office. The office has played a prominent role in recent years in documenting atrocities in Ukraine, Syria, and Myanmar. It is unclear whether its functions will be reassigned or simply phased out.

Rubio’s proposal also eliminates the Office of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, which had previously worked on preventative measures to stop emerging conflicts and genocides before they escalated. This office led several early-warning initiatives focused on Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia.

Cuts and consolidations across the board

According to an article Rubio reposted from The Free Press — which he labeled an exclusive — the restructuring will reduce the total number of State Department offices from 734 to 602. Rubio has given under secretaries 30 days to come up with internal plans to reduce their personnel by at least 15 percent.

While the scale of the proposed cuts is notable, officials within the State Department signaled that they hope to avoid mass layoffs. “There will not be stories or images of people carting their belongings out of the building today,” one senior official told reporters under condition of anonymity. The official acknowledged that the reported figures were “correct” and said the leadership team would engage with Congress and employees to finalize the restructuring over the next month.

Strategic shift amid global competition

The Rubio State Department cuts appear to reflect a strategic realignment of American foreign policy priorities. Rubio and other administration officials have increasingly framed diplomacy through the lens of great-power competition, particularly with China. By reducing offices focused on soft-power initiatives such as human rights and labor advocacy, the administration hopes to allocate more resources toward bilateral engagement, economic diplomacy, and national security alliances.

While some former diplomats and critics argue that human rights are a critical pillar of U.S. foreign policy, Rubio’s supporters contend that a leaner, more focused State Department is essential in a world where authoritarian powers like China and Russia continue to expand their influence.

Congressional and diplomatic reactions

Congressional response to the Rubio State Department restructuring was sharply divided along party lines. Several Republican lawmakers praised the move as long overdue, pointing to years of duplicated efforts and bureaucratic inefficiencies within the department. “Marco Rubio is bringing accountability and clarity back to U.S. diplomacy,” said Senator Tom Cotton, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Democrats, on the other hand, criticized the cuts, especially those involving human rights and war crimes. “The State Department’s role isn’t just about strategic interests,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “It’s also about advancing American values. These reforms gut that mission.”

Some career diplomats expressed concern that dismantling key offices would undermine the U.S.’s moral leadership in global forums. A former senior official who served in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor said the move sends “a signal to authoritarian governments around the world that America is stepping back from defending rights and freedoms.”

Long-term implications

The long-term impact of the Rubio State Department reform will depend on how extensively the restructuring is implemented and whether future administrations choose to reverse the changes. In past decades, reorganizations of federal agencies have often faced bureaucratic resistance and legal challenges, sometimes stalling or softening their effects.

Still, Rubio appears determined to follow through. “This is only the beginning,” he wrote in a post on his social media account. “We will continue to dismantle the old model of diplomacy and replace it with one that puts America first.”

The proposed changes signal not just a reorganization of offices and positions, but a recalibration of the values that underpin U.S. diplomacy. With reduced emphasis on universal rights and an increased focus on strategic rivalry, the Rubio State Department restructuring marks a turning point in how the United States engages with the world.