Marco Rubio's State Department cuts take aim at human rights programs

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🗓️ 28 April 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

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Summary

Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a plan to reorganize the State Department that would eliminate human-rights-focused bureaus and reduce U.S. staff. Jessica Stern, former U.S. special envoy for the human rights of LGBTQ+ persons, joins us. Then, concern is growing that extremism and white supremacism in the military may now be going unchecked. The Trump administration did away with a program to track and combat the issue. Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, tells us more. And, author Chris Whipple talks about the role that President Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles has played in Trump's action-packed second-term honeymoon period.

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0:00.0	These days, there is a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider this from NPR is a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider
0:21.9	this podcast from NPR. WBWR Podcasts, Boston.
0:31.9	We need to tackle these issues with a scalpel, not a chainsaw. So the way I would focus on rebuilding the State
0:39.4	Department is by focusing on retaining expertise rather than cutting human rights. Big cuts could be
0:46.8	coming to the State Department. It's Monday, April 28th, and this is here and now anytime from NPR and WBUR.
1:03.3	I'm Chris Bentley.
1:06.6	Today on the show, a 23 study from the University of Maryland found that one of the best predictors of involvement in violent extremism is a history of military service.
1:18.4	But the Trump administration has ended a program to stamp out extremism in the armed forces.
1:24.2	It's not a fake problem.
1:25.7	There are many, many people who have been killed in domestic
1:27.9	terrorist incidents because of the fact that the person carrying it out had military training
1:33.9	and was radicalized. Also, how has White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles shaped President
1:40.8	Trump's first 100 days in office? That's coming up in a few minutes. But first,
1:46.2	U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending his plan to reorganize the State Department.
1:52.5	His proposal would cut 132 offices, including some human rights programs and programs focused on war
2:00.0	crimes and promoting democracy.
2:02.7	It also aims to eliminate 15% of state's staff in the U.S.
2:08.4	Rubio says it'll make the department more streamlined and efficient.
2:11.7	This is a reorganization that should have been done 10, 15 years ago.
2:15.6	Multiple secretaries of state state from both appointed by
2:18.6	presidents, both Democrat and Republican, would have loved to have done it. I just happened to be
2:22.7	fortunate to work for a president that allowed us to do it, that actually asked us to do it.
	...

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