State Department to dismantle anti-Israel grantmaking office in effort to rein in ‘rogue people’ at agency
Rather than anti-Israel bureaucrats using taxpayer money to fund anti-Israel grants, appointees in regional offices—in concert with the agency’s policy wing—will soon call the shots.
World Israel News 04.05.2025
During the Biden administration, a little-known State Department entity, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), initiated an unauthorized anti-Israel program, offering nearly $1 million in grants to nonprofits for investigating alleged human rights abuses in Israel, Gaza, and Judea and Samaria, the Washington Free Beacon reported in 2022. DRL’s Office of Global Programs directed applicants to document violations to support justice, accountability, and advocacy efforts, focusing on legal, security, and property rights issues. Although the Biden administration canceled the grant before funds were distributed, DRL’s grantmaking authority within the Office of Global Programs remained intact, raising concerns about its alignment with broader U.S. policy.
Now, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to dismantle this office, eliminating its 38-person staff of career bureaucrats and transferring remaining grant programs to regional offices. This decision follows Trump’s earlier freeze on foreign funding programs and aligns with his administration’s effort to ensure federal bureaucrats at Foggy Bottom adhere to its policy priorities. Rubio announced the plan last week, emphasizing a shift toward regional offices staffed with political and diplomatic appointees, who are less likely to deviate from Trump’s agenda compared to career employees in Washington, D.C.
A State Department official explained, “We want to work from the ground up, from embassies to regional bureaus, ensuring offices like DRL support our efforts, not act independently.” The administration believes DRL’s autonomy, coupled with “rogue people” within the agency, has led to actions contradicting U.S. policy, such as the anti-Israel grants. By centralizing grantmaking in regional bureaus, the State Department aims to align funding with policy goals, preventing taxpayer money from supporting initiatives that oppose Trump’s priorities.
The reorganization extends beyond DRL. The Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S-GWI), which in 2023 controversially awarded a “women of courage” honor to a biological man, will be reduced from 33 staff to just its Trump-appointed head, Cate Dillon, who focuses on “America-First” issues. A senior official noted S-GWI had “strayed from its mission,” contributing to its downsizing. The climate-focused Office of Global Change will be shuttered, and the Bureau of Energy Resources will pivot to securing critical mineral supply chains outside China, reflecting Trump’s economic strategy.
Additional bureaus, including Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Energy Resources, and Global Criminal Justice, will be significantly downsized to streamline operations and eliminate redundancies. For positions Rubio cannot eliminate outright, such as the Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice, Special Advisor for Disability Rights, and Special Envoy for LGBT Rights, the administration will leave them vacant. “We’re not filling roles that don’t align with our priorities,” a State Department official said, signaling a broader effort to reshape the agency.
This restructuring aims to empower political appointees and diplomats to pursue Trump’s agenda more effectively. By curbing the independence of bureaus like DRL and reorienting others, the administration seeks to ensure the State Department operates in lockstep with its policy objectives, avoiding the contradictions seen in past grantmaking activities.
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