A group of 10 Democratic senators are urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to save the State Department’s human rights arm amid his sweeping reorganization effort.
The State Department notified Congress last month that most offices in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) would be shuttered under the current proposal.
The DRL’s work focuses primarily on pro-democracy efforts in developing countries and autocracies including Cuba, China, Nicaragua, North Korea, Iran, Russia and Venezuela.
“The proposed reorganization of DRL raises serious concerns about the Department’s prioritization of democracy and human rights and the role of DRL in advancing U.S. national security priorities,” the senators wrote in a letter to Rubio, who was a senator for 14 years before President Trump appointed him to be the nation’s top diplomat.
The senators’ letter was dated last Thursday, but it was released to reporters Monday.
“The proposed reorganization would result in a structural and substantive demotion of human rights promotion that runs counter to the spirit of the law and your personal legacy working on these issues,” the senators wrote.
The letter was signed by Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Chris Coons (Del.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Peter Welch (Vt.).
The senators acknowledged in the letter that they were trying to appeal to Rubio’s “longstanding commitment to U.S. support for emerging democracies and the brave dissidents and human rights defenders who challenge authoritarianism across the globe” and pointed to remarks he made in a 2017 Senate subcommittee hearing about the link between international assistance and national security interests.
“As you stated in the subcommittee hearing previously mentioned, ‘millions of people around the world who live in societies dominated by fear and oppression look to the United States of America to champion their cause to fully exercise their God-given rights,'” they wrote. “There are no greater champions more capable of advancing this noble cause than the dedicated staff in DRL.”
A State spokesperson declined to comment for this story, citing department policy on Congressional correspondence.
Rubio said in a May 29 news release that the departmental overhaul plan was drafted after “thoughtful and deliberative work” that considered input from lawmakers, longtime employees and others with vested interests.
“The reorganization plan will result in a more agile Department, better equipped to promote America’s interests and keep Americans safe across the world,” he said.
Updated: 5:42 p.m.
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