Kamlager-Dove Statement on Rubio’s State Department Concession to DOGE

LOS ANGELES, CA - Today, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, issued the following statement on Secretary Rubio's proposed reorganization of the U.S. State Department:

"The U.S. funds diplomacy and development through the State Department and USAID because when you buck soft power, you court war. And we promote democracy, human rights, women's equality, accountability for war crimes, and anti-extremism because it makes the United States-not our adversaries-countries' partner of choice.

Gutting the values-based bureaus that make us competitive, setting arbitrary personnel quotas regardless of national security needs, and cutting the department's budget by a reported 50% will not make the State Department more effective or efficient.

Rubio's proposed reorganization caves to pressure from radicals like Elon Musk who fundamentally reject these American values at home and abroad. It is unsurprising but still unacceptable that this restructuring plan was developed with zero input from Congress. That's why I preemptively introduced the Defending American Diplomacy Act, which would require Congressional approval before any reorganization of the State Department.

A substack essay isn't going to cut it. Rubio must testify before Congress to justify how these changes will actually enhance U.S. foreign policy and aren't just a self-preserving concession to the MAGA culture warriors who are hungry to destroy our government from the inside."

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