Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump's chief of staff and trusted adviser, is tightening control over the Cabinet by restricting international travel, according to sources familiar with the matter. In a February meeting at the Capitol Hill Club, Wiles—often referred to as the 'Ice Queen'—instructed Cabinet members and senior aides that overseas trips should be taken only when absolutely necessary, Politico reported.
New Travel Protocol
The directive mandates that all Cabinet-level international travel must receive personal approval from Wiles, two sources confirmed. The West Wing is urging Trump supporters to prioritize domestic engagements as the midterm elections approach, with Republicans increasingly concerned about a potential electoral defeat in November.
'All trips are run through Cabinet Affairs. The international ones are on a case-by-case basis, but they definitely want you to focus on domestic travel,' one insider told Politico. An administration official added that the White House has encouraged all Cabinet members to concentrate solely on domestic travel this year.
Recent Travel Under Scrutiny
The policy shift follows several high-profile international trips by Cabinet officials. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, for instance, traveled to Japan, Brazil, Peru, India, Vietnam, and the UK in 2025 to discuss agricultural exports and trade. One source questioned the necessity of such trips, saying, 'It's like, why is Brooke going to the UK? Susie has definitely been more direct in laying down the law.'
The USDA had previously touted Rollins' 'Aggressive International Travel Agenda' in a March 2025 press release. However, a White House spokeswoman, Olivia Wales, stated, 'President Trump and his Cabinet will continue fighting to lower costs for working families and will be traveling across the country to tout the president’s commonsense agenda.'
Not a Targeted Rebuke
Sources emphasized that the travel restrictions are not a specific reprimand of Rollins or any other Cabinet member. Rather, they are part of a broader strategy to ensure Trump's surrogates focus on domestic political issues ahead of the campaign season. Current polling and predictive markets indicate that Democrats are favored to regain control of both chambers of Congress.
A USDA spokesperson defended Rollins' travels, noting, 'Secretary Rollins has taken an historic and unprecedented role to boost American market access and is constantly meeting with American exporters and key foreign government counterparts in key markets to ease trade barriers. USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg has visited over two dozen countries in the last year. We are unapologetically working with foreign governments to boost American ag exports.'
