Rubio’s State Department Cuts Nearly $100 Million in Biden-Era Travel Waste

The U.S. State Department has reduced travel spending by nearly $100 million under President Donald Trump’s administration, marking a significant rollback of Biden-era expenditures, according to internal documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

Between January and September 2025, the department spent $212 million on domestic and international travel, compared with $306 million during the same period in 2024, when Joe Biden was in office.

The data shows a broad effort led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to eliminate unnecessary spending and streamline operations.

The largest reductions came from domestic travel, with nearly $37 million in savings. A significant portion of that decrease — about $7 million — was attributed to reduced conference attendance, while site visits and consultations within the United States dropped by roughly $14 million.

Special mission travel within the country also declined by about $5.5 million.

International travel saw similar declines. Spending dropped from $206 million in 2024 to $149 million this year. Overseas site visits and consultations fell by approximately $12.5 million, while training-related travel costs were reduced by another $15 million.

“The Trump Administration has consistently been on the side of the American people and the American taxpayer, and these numbers prove that,” said State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

“We believe in real diplomacy, not meetings for the sake of meetings.”

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The cost-cutting measures are part of a broader restructuring effort at the State Department.

In April 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo recommending that the combined budget for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) be reduced from $55 billion to $28.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.

The proposed plan includes scaling back humanitarian assistance and global health programs by more than half, along with the closure or downsizing of several U.S. missions abroad.

As of July 2025, more than 1,300 domestic staff positions have been eliminated as part of the effort to modernize and reduce the department’s operational footprint.

Officials said the initiative is designed to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used responsibly while preserving critical diplomatic priorities. The administration’s approach focuses on reducing bureaucratic excesses that had expanded under the prior administration’s spending patterns.

By reining in unnecessary travel and operational costs, the Trump administration’s State Department has aligned its diplomatic mission with fiscal discipline — a shift aimed at making foreign policy both efficient and accountable to the American people.

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