Durbin Statement On Secretary of State Rubio Announcing 'Sweeping Reorganization' At The State Department

Durbin Statement On Secretary of State Rubio Announcing "Sweeping Reorganization" At The State Department

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a plan to significantly reorganize the State Department, including targeting human rights programs and others focused on war crimes and democracy:

"The chaos and cruelty of this Administration knows no bounds. After dismantling USAID, the Trump Administration is now going after the State Department-a critical department that executes our foreign policy goals, maintains our alliances around the world, and promotes the long-term security of the United States.

"As more information becomes available, I will be monitoring these 'reforms' closely. I am particularly concerned over reports that the Trump Administration plans to target human rights programs and the monitoring of war crimes and democracy abroad. Secretary Rubio and I worked closely on many of these priorities during his time in the Senate and I know he understand the importance of American leadership on these issues.

"With instability continuing in challenging corners of the globe, now, more than ever, we need America's top diplomats engaged-not ceding our leadership to China and Russia."

In Congress and as Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, Durbin has continuously called out Russia for committing war crimes in Ukraine. Durbin and Senator Chuck Grassley's (R-IA) bipartisan Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act - which updates the current war crimes statute to enable prosecution of war criminals in the United States regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator or victim - was signed into law by President Biden.

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