Democrats criticized State Department cuts - Bloomberg

Democratic congressmen urge Secretary of State Marco Rubio to abandon plans to cut State Department staff. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.

Details

It is noted that 60 members of the US House of Representatives from the Democratic Party, led by Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia, appealed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a call to stop the implementation of initiatives that involve reducing the State Department staff, lifting the moratorium on employment, and limiting the thrice-yearly Foreign Service Officer Test.

In this letter, congressmen express concern over reports of the Trump administration's intentions to dismiss about 700 diplomatic service employees who are currently serving in domestic positions in the United States.

According to the authors of the appeal, the implementation of such steps will deprive the country of an important personnel resource at a time when the role of diplomacy is particularly acute.

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Lawmakers note that the actual punishment of employees for performing duties within the United States contradicts the principles of effective and priority reorganization, which should promote the preservation of highly qualified personnel and take into account the specifics of diplomatic service.

It is separately emphasized that the cancellation of Foreign Service Officer Tests in February and June will slow down the process of attracting new specialists and negatively affect the renewal of personnel.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which functions as both a union and a professional association, stated that it "strongly opposes the unilateral changes that the State Department is making to the procedures for reducing the diplomatic service staff, as this seriously undermines the US's ability to conduct foreign policy at an extremely difficult geopolitical moment."

The organization emphasized that the proposed changes contradict the current guidelines of April 22, according to which the current place of service should not be taken into account in decisions about reductions. AFSA warned that the new rules could lead to large-scale purges and create a dangerous precedent where the agency changes established norms under the pretext of increasing "efficiency."

As Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously stated, the restructuring of the State Department is intended to make the institution less bureaucratic and more effective in a new era of geopolitical confrontation.

According to him, cutting programs and closing certain units will better align the department's activities with the foreign policy priorities of the Trump administration.

The State Department declined to comment on the content of the congressmen's appeal, stating that the department does not comment on correspondence with Congress.

Recall

In April of this year, US Secretary of State announced a reform of the State Department, which provides for the liquidation of more than 130 offices, the reduction of 700 positions, and the optimization of the structure for more effective work.