Brian Mast

During my time in Congress, I’ve seen up close what happens when broken, woke institutions are allowed to run our foreign policy. I’ve also seen what happens when leadership steps in, restores accountability, and gets everyone focused back on the mission. The difference isn’t theoretical—it shows up in real lives, real credibility, and real results.

The State Department and the Foreign Service play an important role in representing the United States overseas. But in recent years, parts of the department have drifted badly off course. Instead of staying focused on advancing American interests, too much time and energy have been spent chasing agendas that have little to do with keeping our country strong. That drift has weakened accountability, blurred who’s really in charge, and created a culture that has undercut America’s influence around the world.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn’t sugarcoat it earlier this year when he warned that the State Department “stifles creativity, lacks accountability, and occasionally veers into outright hostility to American interests.” That’s a serious indictment—and it should be a wake-up call. When the people tasked with representing America forget who they work for, reform isn’t optional. It’s necessary.

President Trump has been clear from day one about where he stands. His foreign policy is America First—plain and simple. That doesn’t mean America alone. It means our sovereignty comes first, our taxpayers are not an endless piggy bank for woke and ineffective international projects, and our diplomacy has to produce real results.

With the support of Republicans in Congress and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, this administration has brought strength and common sense back into our approach overseas. We’ve rejected the idea that the United States should carry the world’s problems on its back no matter the cost. Instead, we’ve insisted that diplomacy serve clear national interests, strengthen our soft power, and demand respect for the United States. That’s why, in February 2025, President Trump directed Secretary Rubio to reform the Foreign Service and bring it back in line with that mission. That directive deserves to be taken seriously—not just inside the administration, but here in Congress as well.

But real reform doesn’t happen with press releases or internal memos. It takes structural changes, cultural change, and real accountability—things that have been missing for too long. The American people elect a president to set foreign policy. Career officials are supposed to carry it out. The Foreign Service was never meant to be a separate political class. It was built to be a professional corps that executes the will of elected leadership.

Somewhere along the way, that got lost. Too many officials started seeing themselves as caretakers of the status quo instead of servants of the voters. Decisions were dragged out, watered down, or quietly redirected in ways that weakened America’s leverage abroad.

Let’s be clear: that’s not healthy disagreement. That’s bureaucratic defiance.

Fixing this starts with restoring authority. Ambassadors and senior diplomats need to understand that their job is to carry out the president’s foreign policy—not swap it out for their own preferences. Debate belongs inside the room. Once a decision is made, everyone rows in the same direction.

Then comes accountability. In any organization, performance matters. In diplomacy, it too often hasn’t. People have been promoted and rewarded whether policies worked or failed. That has to stop. Advancement should be based on results, mission alignment, and a willingness to serve where the country actually needs you—not just where it’s easy or comfortable. People need to be held accountable.

Congress has already started moving in the right direction. In 2023, we updated the Foreign Service Act to make sure promotions consider service in hardship posts and commitment to professional development. That sent a clear message: service and growth matter more than seniority and box-checking.

That same year, Congress required new training in multilateral diplomacy, recognizing that today’s challenges demand skill and flexibility. Those reforms were a start—but they didn’t go far enough to fix deeper cultural problems inside the department.

Now, under President Trump, and as Secretary Rubio works to reorganize the State Department, Congress should partner with the administration to take a hard look at the Foreign Service Act itself. Diplomacy isn’t an academic exercise. It’s a tool of national power—and that tool must answer to the American people.

At its core, the State Department exists to protect Americans, advance U.S. interests, and negotiate from a position of strength. It is not a think tank. It is not an activist group. And it is not a stage for personal political agendas.

Under President Trump, we’ve seen that strength works—whether it’s reshaping alliances like those in NATO, standing up to adversaries like our work in Venezuela, or walking away from bad deals such as our push back on foreign tariffs. That approach has brought back leverage and respect for the United States. Our diplomatic institutions should be reinforcing that effort, not standing in its way.

This isn’t about pushing out experience or dismissing expertise. The Foreign Service is full of capable Americans who want to serve their country with honor. But service means structure. It means leadership. And it means accountability.

America First isn’t a slogan and it requires a Foreign Service that understands who it works for, what its mission is, and why it exists.

When the State Department and the Foreign Service get back to those basics—aligned with the President, accountable to the people, and focused squarely on American interests—they can once again be a source of strength for our nation.

Reform is overdue. And getting this right is essential to restoring trust, effectiveness, and unity in America’s diplomacy.

Brian Mast is a Republican Representative from Florida. He is the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.