100 Days of an America First State Department

 

Photo: State.gov

By Department of State

In his first 100 days, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has implemented a decisive and focused America First foreign policy agenda, in partnership with key agencies.  The accomplishments below are organized by six pillars of the Trump Administration’s priorities.

“Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, every policy we pursue must be justified by the answer to one of three questions:  Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Or does it make America more prosperous?”  — Secretary Rubio

 1.  Delivering an America First Foreign Policy

• Reorganizing the State Department:  Created a plan for the U.S. State Department to ensure the Department can better perform its essential diplomatic mission and advance America’s core national interests in the 21st Century.
• Foreign Aid Done Right:  Terminated various foreign assistance-funded grants and contracts, across USAID and State Department, inconsistent with administration priorities with total value exceeding $80 billion. Oversaw an 85 percent cut of USAID programs, with the goal of refocusing taxpayer dollars with our national and strategic interests. Began the process of transferring remaining USAID programs, which align with the administration’s priorities.
• Securing the Release of Detained Americans:  Secured the release of dozens of Americans unjustly detained in multiple countries including Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus, and Venezuela through high-level diplomatic efforts. 
• Deterring China’s Presence in our Region:  Advanced President Trump’s America First policy by rebuilding relationships and partnering with key allies in our neighborhood. Thanks to Secretary Rubio’s efforts, which included his first international trip, Panama made the monumental decision to leave China’s Belt and Road Initiative.  Other nations, including El Salvador, Mexico, and Costa Rica, have taken meaningful steps away from China and toward the United States.
• Revoking Visas When Threats Arise:  Implemented President Trump’s zero-tolerance approach to foreign visitors who abet terrorist organizations or participate in activities that threaten our national security or foreign policy interests.
• Ending ‘X Gender’ U.S. Passports:  Eliminated ‘X’ as an available sex marker on U.S. passports, which are now issued based on an individual’s sex at birth.
• One Flag Policy:  Implemented that only the flag of the United States of America is authorized to be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad, and featured in U.S. government content, with exceptions made for the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) emblem and the Wrongful Detainees Flag, both of which are included in statute.
• Championing Free Speech:  Shuttered the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub (R-FIMI), which cost taxpayers more than $50 million per year, and actively censored the voices of Americans.
• Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement:  Issued memo to immediately initiate formal withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in accordance with President Trump’s executive order.
• Streamlining Defense Cooperation:  Streamlined defense cooperation to invigorate the American industrial base, strengthen U.S. supply chains, and advance technological development. This will advance U.S. competitiveness abroad.
• USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka:  Inaugurated the 31,000 square-foot USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, reinforcing our commitment to shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific and demonstrating American excellence, innovation, leadership, and opportunities to visitors from around the world. The USA Pavilion welcomed more than 60,000 visitors during Expo 2025 Osaka’s opening week, 12 percent of the half-million total visitors to the Expo site during the same period.
• Protecting Women’s Sports:  Reaffirmed that the State Department will protect girls and women in academic and professional-level sports. In accordance with that priority, the Department will not issue visas for biological men entering the U.S. to compete in women’s sports and will not provide funding for or take part in cultural exchange programs that allow biological men to participate in women’s sports. Women are the only ones who belong in female sports.
• Historic Issuance of U.S. Passports:  Issued 2.78 million passport books and cards in March, the highest monthly volume in U.S. history, thanks to process and technology improvements including online passport renewal. 

2.  Ensuring Fair Economic and Trade Relationships

• Advocating for U.S. Companies:  Secretary Rubio and Deputy Secretary Landau personally advocated for more than $64.8 billion in new deals for U.S. companies in their engagements with foreign government officials.
• Establishing Trade-Linked Security Pacts for Canada and Mexico:  Brokered deals with Canada and Mexico that put Americans’ safety and our national security first in tying fentanyl interdiction and reductions in illegal immigration to tariff relief. This led to concrete actions from both nations who took greater responsibility in securing our borders.
• Defending American Companies and Innovators:  Worked to prevent the unfair exploitation of American innovation by combatting the unfair taxes, fines, practices, and policies that foreign governments levy on U.S. companies.  
• Securing Critical Minerals Supply Chains:  Supported the rollout of a new Presidential policy on exploration and extraction of seabed minerals and launched discussions with Ukraine and five African heads of state on increased access for U.S. companies to land-based minerals needed for U.S. national defense and commercial applications.
• Historic U.S.-Iraq Trade Mission:  Facilitated the largest U.S. trade delegation to visit Baghdad. The mission included 101 representatives from 56 American companies and resulted in approximately $30 billion worth of agreements.
• Accountability for American Farmers:  Negotiated Mexican water deliveries to ensure compliance with the 1944 Water Treaty. American farmers had suffered an estimated $1 billion in water-related losses in the preceding four years. Mexico committed to an immediate transfer of water and to increase the U.S. share of the flow from Mexico’s Rio Grande tributaries. This will provide much-needed water to the farmers, ranchers, and municipalities in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.

 3.  Restoring U.S. Leadership

• Promoting U.S. Energy Exports:  Championed U.S. liquefied natural gas exports as a fuel-of-choice for our international partners and revoked policies that limited the ability to support and promote exports of America’s abundant natural gas, oil, and coal resources. 
• Strengthening Energy Cooperation in our Region:  Emphasized U.S. commitment to Guyana’s energy, prosperity, and sovereignty by highlighting consequences for the Maduro regime if they invaded Guyana. Strengthened energy cooperation in Guyana’s and Suriname’s hydrocarbon potential, geothermal energy in Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and other Eastern Caribbean islands.  
• Strengthening U.S. Leadership in Global Investment and Emerging Technologies:  Reinforced the U.S. as the premier strategic partner for Gulf allies, resulting in landmark investment commitments of over $1 trillion combined from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in advanced technology, defense, energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing over the next decade. 
• Expanding Cybersecurity and Tech Partnerships:  Partnered with Costa Rica to expand cyber defenses and secure 5G infrastructure, standing together against the threat of Chinese telecoms.
• Advancing Civil Nuclear Energy Diplomacy:  Signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation with El Salvador to support safe and secure nuclear energy in our region.   
• Teaming with U.S. Industry to Reclaim American Nuclear Energy Dominance:  Launched new Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Technology (FIRST) bilateral partnership with El Salvador, which connected U.S. nuclear vendors with ten countries from our region seeking U.S. SMR solutions to meet their energy needs. Began a regional SMR training hub project with Estonia, which featured a U.S. vendor’s secure and safe SMR control room simulator. These civil nuclear energy partnerships harness the power of America’s nuclear industry to expedite the deployment of safe, secure, and proliferation-resistant SMRs.

 4.  Curbing Illegal Immigration and Fentanyl, Securing America’s Borders

• Deterring Illegal Immigration:  Helped reduce illegal immigration attempts by 95 percent. Reached millions of people through a coordinated, international, multilingual, media campaign in over 150 countries. Partnered with DHS on a new program to encourage illegal aliens to self-deport from the U.S.
• Foreign Terrorist Designations:  Designated six violent Mexican cartels, Tren de Aragua (TdA) and MS-13 as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, prohibiting the provision of material support and travel of group members to the U.S.
• Counterterrorism Transfers:  Led the transfer of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua (TdA) members to El Salvador as part of expanded security cooperation and deported hundreds of MS-13 and TdA affiliated aliens.  Secured the extradition of Sarah Root’s killer from Honduras. Secured and charged a key ISIS-K terrorist responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members and hundreds of innocent civilians.  
• Sanctioning Transnational Organized Criminal Groups and Others:  Sanctioned 10 individuals and 7 entities for enabling drug trafficking, including fentanyl-related activities. Sanctioned Foxtrot Network, a transnational criminal organization with ties to Iran, and its fugitive leader, Rawa Majid. Also sanctioned Jumilca Sandivel Hernandez Perez, an instrumental member of the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization.
• Addressing Fentanyl Smuggling at our Border:  Helped secure deployment of 10,000 Mexican troops and technology cooperation to prevent fentanyl smuggling to the U.S.
• Counter-ISIS Repatriations:  Facilitated repatriation of more than 4,600 displaced persons and ISIS-affiliated detainees from northeast Syria. This significantly reduced the security threat posed to the region and the U.S.  
• Facilitating Interagency Operations and Law Enforcement Data Sharing:  Directed criminal intelligence experts to facilitate Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Actor Detection Program nominations and interagency vetting of TOC actors, with nominations of individuals affiliated with certain groups to terrorist databases where applicable.
• Justice Reward Offers:  Provided incentives for information on Lebanese Hizballah cash smuggling, Houthi financial mechanisms, Iranians implicated in the abduction of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, Chinese-linked malicious cyber actors and entities. Justice reward offers also include Iranian drone production and financial networks of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, Chinese exporters smuggling U.S. high-tech to Iran for IRGC arms production, Russian hacker and his widely used malware, Khadra Essa, ISIS sharia enforcer; and two kidnapped U.S. children, who were taken to the now-defunct ISIS caliphate.
• Combatting Visa Fraud:  Combatted visa fraud by applying heightened standards of security in consular sections when verifying visa applicant identity, nationality, and travel patterns.  

5.  Combating our Adversaries

• Penalizing China for Actions in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet:  Sanctioned Beijing and Hong Kong authorities for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.  Implemented visa restrictions on foreign officials involved in forced return of Uyghurs to China and for restricting access to Tibet. 
• Stopping Energy Imports from Maduro Regime:  Stopped the flow of revenue to the Maduro regime by revoking Chevron and other international oil companies’ licenses.  Established discretionary secondary tariffs on countries importing Venezuelan oil.
• Ensuring Accountability:  Reinstated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism given the regime’s support for acts of international terrorism and for providing safe harbor to terrorists and U.S. fugitives.
• Increasing Contributions from Indo-Pacific Allies to Deter China:  Developed strategic messaging to support deployment of U.S. military capabilities in the region. 
• Working to Deter North Korea:  Coordinated trilateral U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea strategy on North Korea missile threats and regional defense.
• Enforcing Energy Sanctions:  Sanctioned Iranian petroleum and petrochemical-related entities, including China-based oil terminals and vessels operating in Iran’s shadow fleet, to sever financial support for Tehran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile development, and terrorist proxies.
• Maximum Pressure on Iran:  Launched a coordinated campaign to drive Iran’s oil exports to zero, especially to China. Sanctioned 72 entities, 14 individuals, and 74 vessels as well as 16 additional entities, including two China-based oil terminals, and 13 vessels to implement National Security Presidential Memorandum-2 (NSPM-2).
• Preventing Weapons from Going to our Adversaries:  Worked with partners and allies to intercept shipments of weapons of mass destruction, missile components, and advanced military and dual use technologies. Disrupted rogue regimes’ sanctions evasion efforts.
• Countering Cyber Threats:  Sanctioned Shanghai-based malicious cyber actor and data broker, Zhou Shuai, and his company. Put incentives in place for information on i-Soon a Chinese Technology company engaged in malicious cyber activities. In coordination with Australia and the United Kingdom, the U.S. sanctioned Zservers, a Russia-based bulletproof hosting (BPH) services provider, and two Russian nationals serving as Zservers operators, for their roles in supporting LockBit ransomware attacks.
• Holding Cuba Accountable for its Forced Labor Scheme:  Expanded a visa restriction policy targeting any individuals who facilitate forced labor linked to the Cuban regime’s labor export program, including international medical missions.
• Holding the Nicaraguan Ortega Murillo Authoritarian Dynasty Accountable:  Imposed visa restrictions on more than 250 Nicaraguan regime officials to hold them accountable for depriving the Nicaraguan people of their fundamental freedoms and forcing many into exile.
• Houthis Illicit Financing:  Spearheaded U.S. and Republic of Yemen law enforcement cooperation to stop illicit antiquities trafficking from Yemen that profits the Houthis.
• Maximum Pressure on Iran Backed Groups:  Sanctioned Iran’s oil minister and shadow fleet as well as Houthi financial networks and suppliers. Designated Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Imposed sanctions on five individuals and three entities tied to Hizballah’s financial network.
• Increasing Global Burden Sharing:  Based on our own needs assessment and through trusted partners, provided life-saving assistance following the devastating earthquake in Burma. Declared that the U.S. cannot remain the world’s primary humanitarian donor, urging wealthy nations to increase their contributions. In response to the disaster in Burma, Thailand, South Korea, and the U.S., together with Quad partners, delivered targeted emergency aid and reaffirmed solidarity with partners who have supported us in past crises. 

6.  Promoting Lasting Peace:  

• Securing Increased Defense Spending from NATO Allies:  Pressed NATO Allies to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP during Secretary Rubio’s trip to the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Sixteen NATO Allies have announced increases in defense spending.
• Historic Resolution at the UN Security Council Resolution on Ukraine:  Thanks to U.S. leadership, in February 2025, the UN Security Council adopted its first substantive resolution on Ukraine in three years. The historic resolution invoked the founding principles of the UN Charter and marked a first, crucial, step on the path to peace for Ukraine, Russia, and the international community.
• Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine:  Secretary Rubio, National Security Advisor Waltz, and Ambassador Witkoff engaged in direct diplomacy with Russia, restarting diplomatic relationships for the first time in three years. An interagency delegation led parallel U.S.-Ukraine and U.S.-Russia negotiations in Riyadh to broker an energy ceasefire and an agreement to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.  
• Promoting Peace in the Middle East:  Worked to establish and maintain a six-week ceasefire in Gaza that led to the release of 38 hostages, allowed for a surge of humanitarian aid, and made clear that the clock is ticking on Hamas’ time in power. Engaged Israel, EU, and Arab states on post-war Gaza governance and border management. Advocated for Arab-led reconstruction efforts.
• Historic Declaration of Principles Between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda:  Led diplomatic efforts which resulted in the signing of a declaration that paves the way for peace, stability, and prosperity in Africa. The Declaration will help protect our strategic interest in critical minerals and bring much needed peace and stability to the region.