Thread: State Dept Staff ‘Nervous’ Over Possible Elimination Of Entire Divisions Read more

State Dept Staff ‘Nervous’ Over Possible Elimination Of Entire Divisions

JONAH BENNETT
National Security/Politics Reporter
1:22 PM 04/10/2017


State Department employees are anxious about possible changes coming to the agency, which may include deep cuts and the elimination of entire divisions.

More than a dozen people with knowledge of restructuring at the State Department spoke to Politico about their concerns, and said they’re looking to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s personal plans and a Heritage Foundation report for a sense of what to expect. Tillerson is expected to implement major cuts to environmental and cultural programs, and may even cut certain divisions entirely, which could affect diplomat’s working on women’s or youth issues, the sources said. Some State Department employees are trying to figure out ways to shield some of the programs they helped build and run from cuts.

One State Department official told Politico that Tillerson may go above and beyond the tweaks typical of an incoming secretary.

“My sense is that Tillerson wants to go big,” the official said. “In terms of streamlining, he seems to like straight lines, direct lines, clear hierarchies with a small number of people reporting to him.”

So far, Tillerson appears to be making good on that management style, as he’s declined to fill numerous roles under the deputy secretary for management position. Tillerson has also left numerous other leadership positions untouched.

Politico reports the atmosphere inside the department is “nervous.”

The Atlantic reported in March that many State Department employees are feeling pushed out of the decision-making circle, and so their once-busy schedules have trickled to a bare minimum.

“Every administration makes changes, but I suspect there’s going to be a little bit more along the way of changes under this administration than in previous ones,” said Brett Schaefer, author of the 2016 report by the Heritage Foundation.

The report calls for a huge decrease in the number of special envoys and making USAID accountable to a specific undersecretary, among other recommendations.
Making USAID part of the State Department may require approval from Congress.

At this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon told the audience that both he and the president are interested in a “deconstruction of the administrative state.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/04/10/st...#ixzz4dxC5gq5R

Wow!!!!! Just think of the money we will Save!!!!.....Do the same with the other bloated Govt Departments!!!!!

There seems to be a sucking sound coming from the swamp....IMO

By MARGARET BRENNAN, KYLIE ATWOOD CBS NEWS February 17, 2017, 12:44 AM
State Dept. carries out layoffs under Rex Tillerson

While Rex Tillerson is on his first overseas trip as Secretary of State, his aides laid off staff at the State Department on Thursday.

Much of seventh-floor staff, who work for the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and the Counselor offices, were told today that their services were no longer needed.

These staffers in particular are often the conduit between the secretary’s office to the country bureaus, where the regional expertise is centered. Inside the State Department, some officials fear that this is a politically-minded purge that cuts out much-needed expertise from the policy-making, rather than simply reorganizing the bureaucracy.

There are clear signals being sent that many key foreign policy portfolios will be controlled directly by the White House, rather than through the professional diplomats.

Not a single State Department official was included in the White House meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner - who has no regional expertise or diplomatic experience - had a greater role in the meeting than the Senate-confirmed secretary of State.


Play VIDEO
Watch: Pres. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister hold press conference


Rex Tillerson was absent Wednesday but did join Kushner and Netanyahu for dinner the night before. Acting Deputy Secretary of State Tom Shannon was on the official schedule to take his place but was then shut out of the White House meeting.

In an emailed statement to CBS News, a State Department official explained that the decision to modify the meeting was made at the White House to “allow for a more personal discussion.” That presumably is a reference to the long-standing friendship between Trump, Kushner, and Netanyahu.

That particular incident was disheartening to many State Department officials who hope that Mr. Tillerson - who had a long career as Exxon Mobil’s CEO - will bring his worldly experience and management to a building that has been demoralized by the Trump administration’s antipathy toward multilateralism and cavalier approach to diplomacy.

Two sources also told CBS News that Ambassador Kristie Kenney, the Counselor of the State Department and one of the last remaining senior officials, was informed that she will be let go. She is a career foreign service officer who had served as an ambassador under Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton. Her staff was told that Secretary Tillerson does not intend to fill the counselor’s position anytime soon.

While positions are often reshuffled during transitions and those perceived as politically-oriented are moved aside, the departures leave the positions vacant at a time of global instability. In Thursday’s presser, President Trump referred to “mass instability overseas, no matter where you look.”

“The middle east is a disaster,” he complained. “North Korea - we’ll take care of it folks; we’re going to take care of it all. I just want to let you know, I inherited a mess.”

“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,” explains Tom Countryman, Former Assistant Secetary for Non-Proliferation who was let go earlier this month. Countryman worries that the White House is displaying an intent not rely on the State Department for foreign policy in that no one will be in place to challenge the edicts drawn up in the Oval Office.

This may be what President Trump was referring to when he repeatedly said that “our people” are not yet in place at U.S. government agencies. He blamed the leaks of embarrassing White House transcripts of his phone calls with foreign leaders - including difficult conversations he had with Mexico and Australia - on officials who had previously worked for the Obama Administration.

R.C. Hammond, a State Department spokesman, did not respond to the specific question of what motivated the layoffs but provided the following statement: “As part of the transition from one administration to the next we continue to build out our team. The State Department is supported by a very talented group of individuals, both Republicans and Democrats. We are appreciative to any American who dedicates their talents to public service.‎”

Hammond previously worked for Newt Gingrich and is a new hire at the State Department.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-de...g-carried-out/

Trump knows better than anyone in the country how to run huge operations with a lean, mean corporate staff. And it looks like he wants to do the same thing with our federal government, especially, all those high level expensive "divisions" that don't produce any bona fide results or benefits for the American people.

See Also;

An Alleged Muslim Spy Ring – Why Rex Tillerson Was Right To Clean House
https://www.alipac.us/f9/alleged-mus...-house-343522/

We never discuss here (although I do, when I think about it) What about the (most recent estimate of) $500 billion uncollected IRS taxes every year? This chart shows the "tax-gap" for years 2001-2010), some of it offshore tax havens, some of it underground economy. Certainly if Trump went after the big scale tax evaders he would win more populist support---although libertarians types might whine. Yes I know that there are better ways to administer the tax burden, but it's not fair to expect most corporations to maintain strict accounting for their workforces, while other groups take advantage of illegal or semi legal dodges, and other people don't file at all.

The reduction of the illegal workforce will help somewhat---assuming that they won't still come up with some way to get child credits and ITIN refunds. And if the unemployment rate falls so that Americans are working in real jobs, instead of fill in work under the table this tax gap will decrease---leaving the large scale tax avoidance factor a more glaring problem. I think going after this would be a good populist strategy for Trump.

Don't go there. The income tax is a horrible thing. What they claim is evasion are estimates. It's not uncollected money, it's estimated lost revenue. They don't know what has been evaded or legally avoided. If they did, they would have already arrested the evaders. Their lost revenues are from lost jobs and incomes. That's the "gap", a sick dying economy with 94 million working age persons out of the work force. That is their "tax gap".

Actually, a lot of income tax is not estimated - they know.

They have the 1099's and they know the ones that do not have corresponding tax returns. So for that, they know.

Of course, we do have the possibility the illegals who are doing this would then simply get an 'UN-earned income tax credit', and get back more than they would have paid.

It's a mess -

Originally Posted by nntrixie

Actually, a lot of income tax is not estimated - they know.

They have the 1099's and they know the ones that do not have corresponding tax returns. So for that, they know.

Of course, we do have the possibility the illegals who are doing this would then simply get an 'UN-earned income tax credit', and get back more than they would have paid.

It's a mess -

1099's are gross payments to contractors. They can't calculate income tax from that. 1099's are self-employeds with all their expenses they have to deduct before a tax is calculated. Right?

Oh yes, it's a mess. The income tax system is nothing but a mess. Why people still want to cling to it is beyond me.

Around here. I'm seeing some 501c3 "charitable organizations" morph into 501c4 political organizations. A church is supposed to have marked distinctions between itself as a spiritual organization, and the doctrines of any given political party. It would take the IRS to crack down on them.