Thank God nearly all President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks had extensive experience in the private sector, because they’ll know how to run the government like a business.
State Department chief Rex Tillerson was CEO of Exxon Mobil prior to joining the Department, presiding over a company whose market value topped $400 billion. Everything came down to the bottom line – a fact true all throughout the private sector, and never the public sector. When a government agency runs a deficit, it’s merely “proof” that they need more funding!
Had Exxon Mobile been running the kind of deficits that Barack Obama did, they would’ve been in a state of crisis, looking for every possible cut that could be made until the problem was resolved. Of course, no career politician would want to risk ticking any of their voter base off by cutting a program favored by them. For obvious reasons, that’s not a concern that Tillerson has.
That’s why he’s taking action to clean house at the State Department.
H/T: The Hill
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is allegedly poised to cut 2,300 diplomats and civil servants from his agency.
The cuts represent about 9 percent of the agency’s workforce and comes as Tillerson looks to fulfill President Trump’s promise to reduce federal spending. The president signed an executive order last month aimed at making government “less wasteful.”
About 1,700 of the jobs on the chopping block will be cut through attrition, while 600 others would be done through buyouts, Bloomberg reported Friday. The cuts could be phased in over the next two years. Senior managers at the State Department were briefed on the plan on Wednesday.
Under Trump’s budget proposal released last month, the State Department would receive some of the deepest cuts — nearly 30 percent.
The department expanded significantly under the Obama administration. But diplomats and some lawmakers fear that the U.S. could lose influence around the world under the Trump administration’s proposed cuts, and have warned against divesting from soft power. At the same time, Trump has called for increases in defense spending and has vowed to “rebuild” the military, which he argues has been “depleted” in recent years.
Never does a government agency voluntarily reduce themselves in size. “We are undertaking a reorganization of the State Department, but it’s not just a collapse of boxes. What we really want to do is examine the process by which the men and women [of the department] … deliver on that mission,” Tillerson said.
Well, the times certainly are changing.
Do you like this move by the Trump administration? Should further cuts be added to these? Let us know in the comments below!
Great to see some NON Politicians saving money for the taxpayers ,money that the Muslim Fraud and the Democrats squander on worthless people and things just for votes..Hilarious though to see these Vile Democrats screaming and protesting and rioting like completely brainless idiots
Now Perry needs to do the same for the worthless Dept. of Energy, which should be closed, and DeVos needs to return the Dept. of Education to the States.
Yes get rid of the DOE, but let DeVos clean up the Dept. of Education too many liberals in State Education.
” Had Exxon Mobile been running the kind of deficits that Barack Obama did, they would’ve been in a state of crisis, ”
We are in a crisis almost a 20 trillion dollar debt. It is nice to have the big boys and girls running the show ” looking for every possible cut that could be made until the problem is resolved”.
The snowflakes have driven California into almost (last I looked) a trillion dollars in debt. Of course their answer is to raise taxes and increase the burden on business. How long do they think this is sustainable? These loons talk about seceding – then they will look for foreign aid? Maybe apply to other countries for a loan – who’s going to give you a loan when you are already at a trillion and adding more everyday – and not paying what you already owe?
At a trillion that is about $22,000 of debt for every LEGAL man, woman and child in the state. When you factor out all of the LEGAL residence who do not work and pay taxes the burden on those who do is raised exponentially. Sooner or later those who are paying for this failed liberal project will give up and leave – that is when California officially becomes a third world country.
Diplomats losing dollars does not lead to the Nation’s loss of influence.
Just like schools losing dollars does not mean that kids learn less.
The positive relationship between Inputs and Output becomes lost in black box of bureaucracy.
Sign your children up for the draft! Trump wants military action over diplomacy, and his supporters should be the first to go to the war zone.
Yeah, cause yours are busy rioting in the streets.
now what they need to do since we have control of the senate and white house is pass a law that will stop a new administration from ever hiring them back or from going on a hiring rampage when trump leaves office. they could pass a law that can not be over ridden with an executive order that freezes all hiring for the next decade and stops any new government departments from being opened unless it is approved by congress. trump and congress could really mess with the liberal progressive terrorist party if they made the law affect every federal department except border patrol, ice and homeland security lol make them promote from with in as people leave or retire instead of hiring new people at the tax payers expense!
Clearing fog out of foggy bottom. This is long overdue, waaaaayyyy overdue!
Foreign Service Reform
The views of senior foreign service officers, while thoughtful, may be mistaken. They represent and reflect the views of the profession whose role and importance has been affected by circumstances, and technology, not just now but for a long while. Diplomatically speaking, the career may be being “overtaken by events” – the classic excuse for foreign policy failure.
A couple of quick points. Outstanding foreign service professionals, like Kissinger, Clifford, MarshalI and Acheson’ were not products of the career foreign service. They had more telling backgrounds and education, as well as savvy, that came from the trenches of political combat, not necessarily postings in embassies or the Department. Another point. The marginalization of the foreign service may not be because of political appointees being placed in positions of authority within the service. It has probably more to do with favors for campaign financial and political support. The framing of foreign policy occurs elsewhere, not in embassies. Its execution does as well.
The role of embassies, and even the layers of foreign service officers overseas, is exaggerated.. A Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) once opined that the embassy was largely a PR operation and it’s success could be gauged on the degree it, and Americans in general, established and maintained friendly relations with the nationals. He was more right than wrong. Beyond PR, the functions of the embassy and it’s staff are largely the care and feeding of U.S. nationals and commerce in-country, the administration of a visa program, and the gathering of intelligence. The latter function is largely diluted by in-country CIA staff, as well as military.
Take PR. Most of good relations is beyond the control of embassies. U.S. corporations have more PR cache than those bright bodies moving about in the beehive of sovereignty overseas. While personal friendships with the nationals are useful, this value is not dependent on living in-country. A public relations operation staffed by a cadre of nationals can do well, if not better, than itinerant foreign service officers on two to four year tours struggling to speak the language in the hope that they can become culturally attuned. Corporations are moving in that direction more and more. The need for “good feelings’ administered by a foreign service can actually be handled, when necessary, through periodic visits of staff from Washington, especially when coupled with material benefits – loans, trade agreements, technical assistance, or an invitation to a visit with the president.
OK, an occasional big event locally to waive the flag, or hand out awards to nationals is useful. I like scholarships. The costs of one the foreign service staff could cover the costs of ten tuition grants….with, potentially, a lifelong advocate of American interests.
It doesn’t take much to extend this model to the care and feeding of Americans having difficulties with local authorities and institutions. A good native lawyer, well connected to the power structure of a foreign country, would probably – no, would – be a major improvement over the machinations of an American consul. That also applies to the administration of the visa section. Nationals already do most of the work there anyway under American supervision. The implied distrust structurally evident in this existing management model with American overseers, can be having a negative impact on competent nationals. Better an efficient and customer-oriented visa service than the policing of requests by management governed by questionably effective procedures dictated by obtuse laws and regulations established in Washington.
Then there is intelligence gathering. One wonders how reporters like Tom Friedman, who parachute in for a week or two, leave with all the interstices of a country’s status laid out in a 500 word op-ed piece. Of course, he might go to the embassy for a briefing…….come on!!! No, he goes to a bar or office, or home of someone of influence that he has met wherever…in college, at a conference, through a friend. Bingo! The “insight” is born.
OK, there is some “intelligence” that can “only” come from U.S.agents in deep cover, or working the soil 24/7. I take the point. Guess what? That guy, or gal, isn’t likely a foreign service officer. Probably the better “agents” are nationals. What they probably need is anonymity, a “drop” mechanism, and a secure Swiss bank account.
So, what do we do with the embassy, that massive defensive fortress layered by physical security barriers and cordons of Marines? Back out and sell it? That probably makes sense. As we withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, we might even consider allowing their English-speaking skilled and educated workforce to migrate here. Our land and economy can use them. We can then call them “Americans” soon enough, and use their cultural and linguistic skills, much needed in the corporate world, as well as in a reduced foreign service.
Jaime L. Manzano
Federal Senior Executive and Foreign Service Officer (Retired)
7904 Park Ovelook Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817
Any chance of the Dept. of Edu. next? Operation Dumb Down has been the norm for far to long.
OUTSTANDING!
FINALLY!!!!! Every Politician and every Govt Dept head needs to justify their budget, their personnel, their spending!! EVERY DAMN line item needs to be justified, bang-for-the-buck, cut staffing until it hurts, then cut some more!!! END the practice of automatic 3-5% increases to budgets and salaries. Bonuses for cost savers. Pink slips for anyone who can’t measure up.
Time to start holding them ALL ACCOUNTABLE!!! Hold them to a HIGHER STANDARD, and absolutely no Pleading the 5th to Congressional or DOJ investigations!!!
MAGA, Drain the SWAMP!!! Jail for anyone found to be obstructing investigations or involved in corruption!
This should have been done many years ago. But the elected officials just want a bigger government and the democrats are trying to convert our once great country into a socialized country.
WAKE UP AMERICA, WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN!
What do you have against a Liberal Socialist Utopia were everyone starves equally. In this Socialist Utopia everyone would be equal except those at the top would be more equal. Our Limousine Liberals would be in 7th heaven and they would be able to do as they wish, you know like they have been doing for the past 8 years.