In 2019, GOP Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida spoke at an elegant event celebrating the work of the Ronald Reagan-founded International Republican Institute, saying he was “so proud” to support the group and hailing fellow hawks Nikki Haley and Sen. John McCain in the audience.
But as secretary of state, Rubio did not spare the group from President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign aid and dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Both threaten to sweep away the organization and the broader universe of U.S. democracy-promoting work.
With its funds frozen, the IRI has furloughed most of its staff and started shuttering its overseas offices. It’s a turn of events that has shocked IRI staff and called into question the future of bipartisan aid work.
“Once Rubio was appointed [secretary of state], a lot of people felt safe,” said one former IRI staffer, who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing future job opportunities. “People thought the relationship was quite close and he’d be able to assist.”
But the group’s power-packed GOP board, which included Rubio until two months ago, was not enough to spare the IRI the U.S. DOGE Service’s chainsaw, raising questions about the influence of Republican hawks in an “America First” administration that is quickly reshaping alliances and the world order. (DOGE stands for Department of Government Efficiency and aims to reduce the size of the government.)
Advertisement
In the space of a few weeks, the United States voted with North Korea against a European-backed United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump branded Ukraine’s leader a “dictator” and fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the new defense secretary proposed steep cuts to his agency’s budget.
The fate of bipartisan programs working to advance democracy abroad and counter the influence of China and Russia are now in question, even as many Republican senators still say they support the use of “soft power” as one tool of American might.
🏛️
Follow Politics
The National Endowment for Democracy, a pro-democracy foundation that provides some of the IRI’s funding, has not been able to access its accounts at the Treasury Department for weeks, according to a statement from the group. Most of that group’s staff have been furloughed, as well, and it has suspended support for 2,000 partner groups around the world. On Wednesday, the group announced it was suing the Trump administration for the funds.
But as secretary of state, Rubio did not spare the group from President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign aid and dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Both threaten to sweep away the organization and the broader universe of U.S. democracy-promoting work.
With its funds frozen, the IRI has furloughed most of its staff and started shuttering its overseas offices. It’s a turn of events that has shocked IRI staff and called into question the future of bipartisan aid work.
“Once Rubio was appointed [secretary of state], a lot of people felt safe,” said one former IRI staffer, who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing future job opportunities. “People thought the relationship was quite close and he’d be able to assist.”
But the group’s power-packed GOP board, which included Rubio until two months ago, was not enough to spare the IRI the U.S. DOGE Service’s chainsaw, raising questions about the influence of Republican hawks in an “America First” administration that is quickly reshaping alliances and the world order. (DOGE stands for Department of Government Efficiency and aims to reduce the size of the government.)
Advertisement
In the space of a few weeks, the United States voted with North Korea against a European-backed United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump branded Ukraine’s leader a “dictator” and fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the new defense secretary proposed steep cuts to his agency’s budget.
The fate of bipartisan programs working to advance democracy abroad and counter the influence of China and Russia are now in question, even as many Republican senators still say they support the use of “soft power” as one tool of American might.
🏛️
Follow Politics
The National Endowment for Democracy, a pro-democracy foundation that provides some of the IRI’s funding, has not been able to access its accounts at the Treasury Department for weeks, according to a statement from the group. Most of that group’s staff have been furloughed, as well, and it has suspended support for 2,000 partner groups around the world. On Wednesday, the group announced it was suing the Trump administration for the funds.
