State Department says it has canceled 39 grants worth $214 million; spokesperson urges caution on budget leaks

The State Department announced that it has canceled 39 grants totaling $214,000,000, a figure the department said came from a tweet by Secretary Rubio that a spokesperson read at a press briefing.

The announcement matters because it signals the department is reviewing overseas assistance and other grant programs: the spokesperson read examples from the secretary's tweet including funding for a ‘‘migrant domestic worker-led movement in Lebanon’’ and an item described in the tweet as ‘‘get the trolls out in The United Kingdom.’’ The spokesperson said the secretary ‘‘felt passionate enough about this to tweet it himself’’ and that the department would release a fuller list when available.

Asked about recent press reports describing a large reduction in the State Department budget—reports that named OMB plans to cut what was described as the "function 150" account covering State and USAID—the spokesperson pushed back, saying there is no final department plan and that budgets are set by the White House and Congress. "Whatever you've seen in public was not released from this entity, was not released by the secretary," the spokesperson said, adding that reporting based on leaked or preliminary documents can be wrong. The spokesperson advised reporters to check with the White House for any final numbers.

The spokesperson framed the grant cancellations as part of an effort to "clean up the mess the previous administration left and rebuilding an agency that's focused on putting America First," words the spokesperson said were taken from the secretary's tweet. The department did not provide a full list of the canceled grants at the briefing; the spokesperson said the list would be shared when available.

On related reporting that the administration may reduce U.S. contributions to international organizations, the spokesperson said rumors about ‘‘eliminating funding for the UN and NATO’’ were inaccurate and urged caution until the president's budget is formally transmitted to Congress. The spokesperson reiterated a public commitment to NATO while saying the United States expects partners to increase their own defense spending.

The department declined to provide a timeline for publishing the full grant list or for details on which programs would be affected, and referred questions about specific funding lines and any final White House decisions to the White House and OMB.

Ending: The spokesperson closed the topic by reiterating that a fuller accounting would be provided later and that the department’s public statements reflected both the secretary’s tweet and ongoing internal review.