On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revamp the foreign service to ensure the “faithful and effective implementation” of Trump’s foreign policy agenda.
This order follows major upheaval at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as Trump pushes reforms to align foreign policy with his “America First” agenda. He has also repeatedly vowed to “clean out the deep state” by removing bureaucrats he deems disloyal.
The order states that failure to implement the president’s agenda may result in disciplinary action, including termination of personnel.
“The Secretary must maintain an exceptional workforce of patriots to implement this policy effectively,” the order states.
The executive order instructs the Secretary of State to reform recruitment, performance, evaluation, and retention standards to “ensure a workforce that is committed to the faithful implementation of the President’s foreign policy.”
It also grants the secretary authority to overhaul Foreign Service Institute programs and revise or replace the Foreign Affairs Manual.
Just hours after taking office on January 20, Trump ordered a freeze on most U.S. foreign aid to ensure it aligned with his “America First” policies.
Following this order, USAID staff were placed on leave and instructed not to report to headquarters. Signs at the agency were covered with tape or removed, and the USAID website became non-functional.
Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting administrator of USAID, while several senior officials were removed in what sources described as an effort to silence any dissent within the agency.
