Rubio Plans to End State Department Censorship Programs

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hitting the ground running.

After a very quick confirmation, Rubio took the steering wheel from Secretary Blinken, and he is immediately going after censorship.

Rubio stated that the department will no longer promote programs that “open the door to censorship.”

Game Changer

The Biden administration touted these programs as a way to fight misinformation, but most on the right believe this was nothing more than an effort to silence conservatives.

Rubio sent out a cable to all staffers slamming “agencies and programs of our own government” that engaged “in censorship, suppression, and misinformation.”

Rubio further stated that his office would seek out “enemy propaganda” and programs that “lead or in any way open the door to censorship of the American people will be terminated.”

Donald Trump went down a similar path with an executive order to block federal funding for any programs that “engage in or facilitate any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.”

This comes after the Biden administration shuttered the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which has pressured social media outlets to censor COVID-19 information that pushed back against the narrative the Biden administration wanted out there, including theories about a possible Wuhan lab leak.

Rubio has also encouraged his staffers to get back to the basics of diplomacy and try to remove ideology from the department.

His cable continued, “Far too much of America’s diplomacy is focused on pushing political and cultural causes that are divisive at home and deeply unpopular abroad.

“This creates unnecessary friction with other nations and obstructs our ability to conduct a pragmatic foreign policy and work cooperatively with other nations to advance our core national interests.

“Our department will take the lead in revitalizing alliances, strengthening ties with other partners and allies, and countering the malign activities of our adversaries. We will refocus American foreign policy on the realities of today’s reemerging great power rivalry.

“And we will explore and creatively exploit the many new and unexpected opportunities that this changing world affords our nation.”

I think Rubio was a perfect pick for this role, and I think he will excel as Secretary of State.

He and Trump have had a fairly good relationship since they traded blows in the 2016 primary, and this appointment clearly shows they are both on the same page now.

It will be interesting to watch Rubio’s approach after seeing Blinken dominated by our adversaries on the global stage.