Trump administration plans to overhaul National Security Council, weeks after Waltz’s departure
Plans include shifting elements of the National Security Council to other agencies
By Diana Stancy Fox News
Published May 23, 2025 7:25pm EDT
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are spearheading plans to overhaul the National Security Council and shift its main functions to other agencies like the State and Defense departments.
The move is the latest effort to slim down a federal agency and comes weeks after Trump announced former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would depart his post at the White House overseeing the agency.
Trump announced the same day that Waltz was nominated to serve as United Nations ambassador.
The plans to upend the agency would include whittling down the size of the National Security Council, which the Trump White House believes is full of long-term, bureaucratic staffers who don’t align with Trump’s agenda.
Additionally, the restructuring will move Andy Barker, national security advisor to Vice President JD Vance, and Robert Gabriel, assistant to the president for policy, into roles serving as deputy national security advisors.
Axios was the first to report the Trump administration’s restructuring plans. A White House official confirmed Axios’ reporting to Fox News Digital.
A White House official involved in the planning said Trump and Rubio are driving the change in an attempt to target Washington’s so-called "Deep State."
"The NSC is the ultimate Deep State. It's Marco vs. the Deep State. We're gutting the Deep State," a White House official told Axios.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-administration-plans-overhaul-national-security-council-weeks-after-waltzs-departure
