CBS News’ Margaret Brennan is having a very bad month. Fresh off of getting verbally dismantled by Vice President J.D. Vance last Sunday, she waded into yet another rhetorical mismatch—this time with Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). And once again, she walked straight into a buzzsaw.
Mast, a decorated veteran who lost his legs in Afghanistan, appeared on Face the Nation to discuss the push to clean house at the State Department, particularly in the bloated, ideology-driven Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. But Brennan, rather than engaging in a meaningful discussion, immediately tried to play gotcha journalism.
The exchange began with Mast explaining that the effort to overhaul the State Department is part of a broader strategy to refocus America’s diplomatic priorities. When he mentioned “purging” State Department personnel, Brennan pounced, affecting her best shocked and appalled tone.
Margaret Brennan, who recently got humiliated in her interview with VP Vance, gets humiliated again when she asks for examples of DEI waste in foreign aid the US gives.
Rep. Mast came with the receipts and owned Brennan.pic.twitter.com/7LBWGbKmdT
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) February 2, 2025
BRENNAN: “I’m sorry, can I follow up on what you just said there? You want to authorize purging of State Department personnel, what does that mean exactly?”
Let’s pause here for a second. What does that mean exactly? It means exactly what it sounds like, Margaret. It means removing bureaucrats who have spent the last four years prioritizing progressive activism over actual diplomacy.
Mast, unfazed, answered with calm precision, pointing out that the State Department has been pouring resources into DEI initiatives at the expense of real foreign policy. Brennan, clearly convinced she had her “gotcha” moment, demanded proof.
That was a mistake.
Mast was more than ready.
MAST: “Sure. Let’s list them off. Half a million dollars to expand atheism in Nepal. $50,000 to do a transgender opera in Colombia. $47,000 dollars to do an LGBTQ trans comic book in Peru. $20,000 a pop to do drag shows in Ecuador. Shall I continue?”
And there it was. Hard numbers. Specific grants. A detailed paper trail of taxpayer money being wasted on ideological pet projects instead of serving American interests.
At this point, Brennan had two choices: admit that Mast was right or move the goalposts. Naturally, she chose the latter.
BRENNAN: “Oh, it certainly seems like there could be a review of things. Foreign aid, as you know, is less than one percent of the entire federal budget, so we’re talking small amounts of money by comparison.”
This is the classic lazy defense of government waste. Just because something is a small percentage of overall spending doesn’t mean it isn’t a ridiculous use of taxpayer money. By that logic, why not fund interpretive dance troupes in Venezuela or pay for feminist poetry readings in North Korea? (And given the Biden-era State Department, don’t be surprised if those things actually happened.)
Mast wasn’t buying it, and neither should anyone else. The fact is, under the last administration, the State Department’s priorities weren’t foreign policy, national security, or strengthening America’s standing in the world. Instead, they were busy pushing gender ideology on other countries, waving the “Progress Pride” flag at U.S. embassies, and funding activist pet projects. Meanwhile, American influence declined, embassies became ideological battlegrounds, and foreign leaders stopped taking us seriously.
And that’s the real issue here. America’s global stature has suffered under an administration that treated the State Department as a progressive think tank rather than a diplomatic institution. Under President Trump, the mandate is clear: refocus, rebuild, and remove the bureaucratic dead weight that has been actively working against America’s interests.