Rubio to do away with climate, 'cultural' priorities at US State Dept

The approach marks a sharp turnaround from diplomacy under former president Joe Biden and secretary of state Antony Blinken, who among other appointments named the first-ever US special envoy on LGBTQ rights abroad.

"We must return to the basics of diplomacy by eliminating our focus on political and cultural causes that are divisive at home and deeply unpopular abroad," Rubio said in a statement.

"This will allow us to conduct a pragmatic foreign policy in cooperation with other nations to advance our core national interests."

On climate, a top priority for Biden who ramped up clean energy and international assistance for worst-hit countries, Rubio said that the State Department instead would focus on Trump's goal of "a return to American energy dominance."

"We must leverage our strengths and do away with climate policies that weaken America," Rubio said, while promising still to support "sensible environmental protections."

Rubio said that the State Department would also "no longer undertake any activities that facilitate or encourage mass migration," a veiled reference to work to resettle refugees, and would eliminate previous diversity goals in hiring.

Rubio, in his confirmation hearing, had promised to move the United States away from its post-Cold War emphasis on a "liberal global order" and instead pursue raw US national interest, saying that rivals such as China are doing likewise.