Marco Rubio

Trump, Rubio move to dismantle ‘Deep State’ grip on national security

President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have orchestrated a vast restructuring of the National Security Council, reducing its size and transferring many of its powers to the State and Defense departments.

Why it matters: Trump’s White House sees the NSC as notoriously bureaucratic and filled with longtime officials who don’t share the president’s vision.

A White House official involved in the planning characterized the reorganization as Trump and Rubio’s latest move against what they see as Washington’s “Deep State.”

“The NSC is the ultimate Deep State. It’s Marco vs. the Deep State. We’re gutting the Deep State,” the official said of the move, which will cut the NSC staff to about half of its current 350 members. Those cut from the NSC will be moved to other positions in government, officials said.

“The right-sizing of the NSC is in line with its original purpose and the president’s vision,” Rubio told Axios in a statement. “The NSC will now be better positioned to collaborate with agencies.”

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Rubio to review visa status of anti-Israel protesters arrested for occupying Columbia library

Dozens of anti-Israel protesters were arrested at Columbia University after they stormed and occupied a campus library while students were studying for final exams, marking the largest anti-Israel demonstration on the Morningside Heights campus since last year’s high-profile encampment. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is vowing to review the visa statuses of those agitators who were arrested.

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Secretary Rubio: Alien Enemies Act exists to protect Americans, defend against Tren de Aragua and others

When the Founding Fathers drafted the Aliens Act of 1798, they intended it to act as an antibody against foreign armies, criminal networks, and individuals who sought to do America harm. They understood something we have forgotten. Every nation has not just a right to act in self-defense, but a duty to do so. When a nation neglects that duty, it risks becoming a haven for vile criminal elements from across the globe, and a battleground in other nation’s conflicts.  No nation is obligated to harbor foreign criminals from justice in their home nations, much less allow them to continue their crime spree right here in the United States.

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Rubio overhauling ‘bloated’ State Department in sweeping reform

The Trump administration has announced it is overhauling the State Department and shuttering more than 130 offices around the world in order to streamline operations and align the department more closely with the administration’s foreign policy objectives.

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Moscow pours cold water on U.S.-Russia talks, says no territorial concessions in pre-negotiation positioning

Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have met for talks on the future of the Ukraine war, but even before sitting down, Russia made clear it was approaching things with a hard bargaining mindset.

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Rubio unanimously confirmed as secretary of State, becoming Trump’s first Cabinet official

The Senate on Monday unanimously confirmed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as America’s 72nd secretary of State, putting in place the first member of President Trump’s Cabinet on the day of his inauguration.

Rubio unanimously confirmed as secretary of State, becoming Trump’s first Cabinet official Read More »