Secretary of State Marco Rubio is eying significantly downsizing the National Security Council, using his roles to carry out the president's will on how security decisions are made, according to officials close to the matter.
Speaking to NBC News, the officials said the staff shrinkage at the council is designed to bring its decisions closer in alignment to President Donald Trump's. Instead of having a large staff make policy recommendations to the president, it would be more top-down with the council instructed to carry out the president's orders. The council includes cabinet and military members who advise the president on security matters.
The council had 300 staffers in January. Shortly after taking office, Trump cut that by half, and the expected reductions could slice it further, leaving only 50 and 60 people on the council. The sources reportedly told NBC News that final decisions on reductions have not yet been made.
According to the officials, Rubio - who is working in his additional role as Trump's national security adviser - will not fire staff, but reassign them to other agencies.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to confirm in a statement to NBC News that at least some changes were coming to the National Security Council under Rubio's watch.
“Secretary Rubio is doing an incredible job serving as both Secretary of State and White House National Security Advisor,” she said. “Under his leadership at the White House, the NSC team will be streamlined to ensure maximum efficiency and coordination with outside agencies.”
The number of workers on the council has changed over the years, shifting from one administration to the next. During the presidency of John F. Kennedy, the council only had 20 employees. By 1991, there were 40. By the year 2000, the council had approximately 100 staffers, and that grew to 370 by the end of the decade as the War on Terror raged.
The growth of the National Security Council was troubling to some members of Congress, including the late Arizona Senator John McCain, who tried to limit its size. In 2016 that effort was realized when Congress put a limit to the number of policy-focused positions at the council to 200.
Rubio has reportedly also discussed moving some of the council’s responsibilities to other agencies, including the CIA and the U.S. State Department, according to the sources.
The downsizing plans come after Trump fired some council members in April, just one day after he met with conservative provocateur Laura Loomer, who had previously questioned if "disloyal" people were working inside Trump's administration.
Rubio took over the national security adviser role from Mike Waltz, who Trump removed in the wake of his much publicized Signal scandal. Waltz was reassigned as the nation's next ambassador to the United Nations. Rubio will stay in the position for at least six months, according to Trump.
