Ten Democratic senators have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to abandon plans to dismantle most of the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL). In a letter released Monday, they warned the proposed restructuring would downgrade U.S. support for human rights abroad.
The State Department notified Congress in May of its intent to shutter key DRL offices under Rubio’s reorganization plan. The bureau focuses on democracy promotion in nations like Cuba, China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.
The senators appealed to Rubio’s past advocacy for dissidents and emerging democracies, citing a 2017 quote where he said oppressed people “look to the United States to champion their cause.” They argued that eliminating DRL undercuts U.S. national security and Rubio’s own legacy.
Rubio defended the plan as a product of “thoughtful and deliberative work” aimed at making the department more agile.
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