Many will shrug, assuming that news as seemingly mundane as a new organizational chart for a federal agency doesn’t impact them or that cuts to government agencies are by definition beneficial. But the truth is that the proposed restructuring of the State Department, including the elimination and downsizing of various bureaus that promote justice globally, will have profoundly negative consequences for American interests and the well-being of people around the world.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio released his proposal to reorganize the Department of State—and it’s a doozy. When I joined government as the U.S. special envoy for the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons, after a career working for human rights organizations, I found many of the clichés about government inefficiency to be true. However, Rubio’s plan—which includes reducing U.S.-based staff by 15 percent, cutting 132 offices, and transitioning an additional 137 offices into other parts of the department—is the equivalent of wielding a chainsaw when the patient deserves a scalpel.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio released his proposal to reorganize the Department of State—and it’s a doozy. When I joined government as the U.S. special envoy for the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons, after a career working for human rights organizations, I found many of the clichés about government inefficiency to be true.