WASHINGTON: On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to overhaul the US foreign service, ensuring the “faithful and effective implementation” of Trump’s foreign policy. The order aims to align US diplomacy with the president’s “America First” approach and intensifies efforts to purge the diplomatic corps of individuals perceived as disloyal to his agenda.
The executive order comes in the wake of significant changes at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and follows Trump’s repeated pledges to “clean out the deep state” by firing bureaucrats who do not support his policies. The president’s directive further emphasizes that failure to implement his foreign policy agenda could result in professional disciplinary actions, including termination.
“The Secretary must maintain an exceptional workforce of patriots to implement this policy effectively,” the order stated. It also instructed Rubio to initiate reforms within the foreign service, including changes to recruitment, performance evaluation, and retention standards, to ensure the workforce is dedicated to the president’s vision.
The order specifically tasks the Secretary of State with reforming the Foreign Service Institute and revising or replacing the Foreign Affairs Manual to better reflect the president’s policy goals. Trump’s move follows an earlier decision to freeze most US foreign aid in order to align it with his “America First” priorities, an action that led to a temporary shutdown of USAID operations.
In response to the changes, some senior USAID officials were placed on leave, and the agency’s staff were told not to report to work. At USAID headquarters, signs were either covered up or removed, and the agency’s website was temporarily taken offline. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named acting administrator of USAID.
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Current and former USAID officials have voiced concerns that the shake-up is part of a broader effort to suppress dissent within the agency. They suggest that the purging of senior staff is intended to ensure compliance with Trump’s foreign policy directives and silence any opposition within the ranks of the diplomatic corps.
This latest move is seen as another step in President Trump’s efforts to reshape the US government and its foreign relations to reflect his administration’s “America First” ideology, prioritizing national interests above traditional diplomacy.
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