Finally, some sanity is being restored to the State Department. Newly-confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a critical reform: all official travel by State Department personnel will now be subject to a rigorous review and reapproval process. This isn’t just about stamping passports or tightening budgets; it’s about reigning in an agency that, under the Biden administration, ran wild with taxpayer dollars to promote far-left ideologies around the globe.
This move comes as part of President Trump’s broader strategy to align every facet of the executive branch with the values and goals of his administration. And let’s be clear, this reform is long overdue. For years, the State Department under Biden operated less like a diplomatic institution and more like a traveling circus of woke activism. It’s no wonder Americans are fed up.
Case in point: Jessica Stern, the so-called “Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons.” Stern jetted off to 22 countries—on your dime—to spread transgender ideology.
Forget advancing America’s interests; Stern was busy marching in pride parades, rubbing elbows with self-proclaimed “transvestite sl*ts” in Brazil, and lobbying foreign governments to erase gender markers from ID systems. In Brazil alone, she lectured officials on banning conversion therapy, tackled “intersecting discrimination,” and played social justice warrior for indigenous and Afro-descendant LGBTQI+ groups. How any of this improved America’s standing in the world is anyone’s guess.
NEW: Meet Jessica Stern — the Biden official paid six figures to travel the globe lobbying for the transgender agenda.
She's marched with transgenders in Brazil and cheered as children attend pride parades in Lithuania, but now she's afraid that she could be fired by Trump🧵 pic.twitter.com/s4VOWuNh1Y
— Spencer Lindquist 🇺🇸 (@SpencerLndqst) March 4, 2024
And Stern wasn’t alone. Enter Desiree Cormier Smith, Biden’s “Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice.” Another left-wing activist masquerading as a diplomat, Smith globetrotted in the name of “racial equity,” leaving behind little more than a trail of virtue-signaling. Thankfully, both Stern and Smith have vacated their positions—yet another sign that Trump’s return to the White House is already shaking the woke foundation of Biden’s bloated bureaucracy.
Rubio’s new travel directive is about accountability. It ensures that every trip, every meeting, and every taxpayer dollar serves a purpose that aligns with America’s interests—not leftist ideological crusades. Under this policy, trips planned during the Biden years will be reviewed and, if necessary, canceled. That’s right: no more joyrides for bureaucrats bent on exporting radical ideas that have nothing to do with diplomacy or national security.
The outrage from the left will be predictable. They’ll claim this is “intolerant” or “anti-democratic.” But let’s call it what it is: cleaning house. For too long, bureaucrats have used the State Department as their personal platform for advancing fringe ideologies, all while ignoring the real issues facing the nation. Under Trump and Rubio, that nonsense stops now.
This isn’t just a political shift; it’s a cultural reset. Diplomats should be representing the United States—not embarrassing it. The days of pandering to international woke elites are over. Instead, Rubio is bringing back a focus on policies that strengthen America’s standing in the world, protect its citizens, and reflect the values of the American people.