Trump and Rubio, who is the national security adviser, are leading the moves aimed at an agency they view as bureaucratic and emblematic of the "deep state."

The move is the latest effort to slim down a federal agency, and after Trump announced former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would depart his post at the White House overseeing the agency.

A large restructuring of the White House National Security Council got under way on Friday as President Donald Trump moved to reduce the size and scope of the once-powerful agency, five sources briefed on the matter said.