State Dept. Lays Off Staff While Tillerson Is Overseas

[mystery-ak]

By Joe Crowe   |   Friday, 17 Feb 2017 08:01 AM

While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is on his first overseas diplomatic trip, State Department aides laid off a number of staff members, CBS News reports.

Much of the staff members who work for the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and the Counselor offices were laid off Thursday.

more
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/State-Department-Lay-Off-Tilelrson-Overseas/2017/02/17/id/774161/

[skeeter]

At first blush whats happening here looks like what many of us have been hoping would happen. Tillerson being out of town at the time makes sense too.


Those particular staff members were often the link between the secretary of state's office and the individual country's bureaus, which appears to signal that foreign policy portfolios will be under the control of the White House, instead of professional diplomats, CBS reported

[driftdiver]

...
Those particular staff members were often the link between the secretary of state's office and the individual country's bureaus, which appears to signal that foreign policy portfolios will be under the control of the White House, instead of professional diplomats, CBS reported

@skeeter
OR it could be business as usual since all administrations bring in their own people.  Regardless and with very few exceptions the fewer people working in our govt the better.

[skeeter]

@skeeter
OR it could be business as usual since all administrations bring in their own people.  Regardless and with very few exceptions the fewer people working in our govt the better.

The article said these folks were career staffers, which I took to mean as they've been at the State dept a long time.

[anubias]

Getting rid of Obama people is a good thing.  :-)

[Frank Cannon]

"It is irresponsible to let qualified, nonpartisan, experienced people go before you have any idea of their replacement. You can't do foreign policy by sitting in the White House, just out of your back pocket," Tom Countryman, former assistant secretary for non-proliferation, told CBS News.

I notice this guy was used heavily by Rat administrations. It makes me think he may not be as non partisan as he wants us to believe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_M._Countryman

[r9etb]

"It is irresponsible to let qualified, nonpartisan, experienced people go before you have any idea of their replacement. You can't do foreign policy by sitting in the White House, just out of your back pocket," Tom Countryman, former assistant secretary for non-proliferation, told CBS News.

I notice this guy was used heavily by Rat administrations. It makes me think he may not be as non partisan as he wants us to believe.

He's not wrong, though.  It's a complicated job, and there's a lot of institutional knowledge involved; for example, things as basic as knowing which people to talk to about what, for example; and the more complicated nuances of the political culture of the countries in question.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with making changes, and for the State Dept. and perhaps it is long past time to have done so.  But for something as important as foreign policy one needs to have a succession plan in place beforehand, so as to minimize the turbulence of the transition.

[Oceander]

Do we know whether the people laid off were vital or back office / support?  Laying off crucial decision makers is one thing; thinning the herd of rank and file is another.

[Frank Cannon]

But for something as important as foreign policy one needs to have a succession plan in place beforehand, so as to minimize the turbulence of the transition.

The only ones speculating that there is not a plan are the people who were fired.

[Night Hides Not]

The only ones speculating that there is not a plan are the people who were fired.

If these are truly "career staffers", then they will be reassigned, they can't just be RIF'ed without civil service regs being followed.

[r9etb]

The only ones speculating that there is not a plan are the people who were fired.

Since they're the ones who'd normally be involved in the handover, they're probably in a good position to know.