Rep. Brian Mast Advocates for Overhaul of State Department Priorities

The House Foreign Affairs Chair calls for personnel changes, citing concerns over funding for diversity initiatives over diplomacy.

Rep. Brian Mast, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has proposed a 'purging' of personnel within the State Department during an interview on CBS's 'Face the Nation.'
Mast criticized the department for prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives over core diplomatic efforts, providing examples of specific foreign aid expenditures he deemed wasteful.
Examples cited by Mast included funding for a transgender opera in Colombia, drag shows in Ecuador, and an LGBTQ comic book in Peru, which he argued reflect misplaced priorities.
Mast stated he is working closely with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on efforts to restructure the department and ensure greater oversight of its operations.
CBS host Margaret Brennan challenged Mast on the scale of these expenditures, noting that foreign aid constitutes less than 1% of the federal budget, but Mast maintained that such changes are necessary for national security.