GOP rep says he supports 'purging' of State Department

Republican Rep. Brian Mast (Fla.), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he supports “purging” personnel at the State Department.

Mast joined CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where host Margaret Brennan asked him about President Trump imposing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, and what national security threat is coming from the countries.

Brennan also asked if the tariffs will violate the free trade agreement set up during Trump’s first term.

“The violation has been to the United States of America. It’s been to our sovereignty. It’s been to our people,” Mast replied. “We’ve been taken for granted.”

“And I will make sure certainly, as the Foreign Affairs chairman, that we give every single authority as we go through the State Department reauthorization, to make sure that this moves forward, as well as the purging of people throughout the State Department, other agencies, when we’re freezing aid,” he continued.

Mast argued that those steps were “necessary and important” to securing the country.

Brennan appeared to be caught off guard, asking the Florida Republican to clarify what he meant by purging the department.

“Well, if you want to take a look at the State Department, where DEI has been a priority over, let’s say, diplomacy on many accounts,” he said, using an abbreviation for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Brennan asked what proof he had that the department was funding DEI initiatives over international diplomacy.

“Sure, let’s list them off, half a million dollars to expand atheism in Nepal, $50,000 to do, let’s see, a transgender opera in Colombia, $47,000 to do an LGBTQ trans comic book in Peru, $20,000 a pop to do drag shows in Ecuador,” Mast replied.

“Shall I continue with more examples of where DEI was a priority?” he asked.

Brennan later asked the lawmaker if the Trump administration had informed him of plans to dismantle or shrink the agency.

“This is something that I’m working on very specifically, in conjunction with Secretary Rubio, to make sure that there’s the appropriate command and control of these agencies,” Mast said.