In a series of surprising moves, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken on additional responsibilities within the Trump administration, serving as acting director of both USAID and the U.S. Archives. His appointment to USAID was announced recently, but the Archives role, reported by ABC News and citing a high-level official, is a newer development. This comes after Trump's stated intention to replace the former national archivist, Colleen Shogan, appointed by President Biden. Shogan's appointment followed the National Archives' notification to the Justice Department regarding classified documents allegedly taken by Trump to Mar-a-Lago.

Rubio's first official trip as Secretary of State has taken him to Central America. A key achievement of this trip was persuading Panama to terminate its Belt and Roads project deal with China, addressing concerns about Beijing's influence over the strategically important Panama Canal, a waterway originally constructed by the U.S. Trump has previously indicated the possibility of the U.S. reclaiming the canal through economic or military means if necessary.

Rubio's trip also focused on foreign aid, with a particular emphasis on programs that support biometric data collection for fugitive identification and enhance technology and K-9 units to combat fentanyl trafficking. He has issued waivers to reinstate these programs, highlighting them as examples of foreign aid aligned with U.S. national interests. This comes amidst a broader review by the Trump administration of U.S. foreign aid spending, which has led to program terminations and layoffs.

In other diplomatic efforts, Rubio has worked to prioritize extradition requests in collaboration with Attorney General Pam Bondi, focusing on individuals deemed strategic objectives in disrupting dangerous transnational groups. Furthermore, the State Department announced an agreement with Panama to eliminate fees for U.S. government vessels transiting the Panama Canal, projected to save millions of dollars annually. However, the Panama Canal Authority has denied any changes to toll agreements, expressing willingness to discuss the matter with U.S. officials. Rubio had previously expressed concerns about U.S. Navy ships paying transit fees despite the U.S. treaty obligation to defend the canal.

Immigration has been another focal point of Rubio's trip, with praise for Panama's efforts to reduce migrant flow through the Darien Gap. He also oversaw a deportation flight of Colombian nationals and secured agreements with El Salvador and Guatemala to accept deportees from the U.S.