Document kmxjEx5GgmMMjwEeD5N9468wq

To: From: Sent: Subject: speed' Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] The Washington Post Fri 11/17/2017 5:07:02 PM Federal Insider: Foreign Service leadership being `decapitated' and `depleted at a dizzying Foreign Service leadership being `decapitated' and `depleted at a dizzying speed'.................................. By Joe Davidson Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Alex Brandon/AFP/Getty Images When President Trump reported on his trip to Asia, he heaped praise on himself and said the nation's "standing in the world has never been stronger than it is right now." Using "I" 42 times in his 23-minute speech Wednesday, he declared "NATO, believe me, is very happy with Donald Trump and what I did," as he touted Trump's unmatched self-adulation might cloud his view of the hard work by foreign service staffers and their increased difficulties because of his Noting a recent Time magazine cover "with its graphic of wrecking balls and warning of `dismantling government as we know it,' " American Foreign Service Association President Barbara Stephenson is cautioning against "mounting threats to our institution -- and to the global leadership that Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00002945-00001 fltepitat toiAisirica becoming stronger internationally, as Trump suggested, the senators said, "These factors lead us to conclude that America's Spsnifiatiy?(SM?epIt brgisvwakeA eparpteg ha t gra^ieg Service and the nation's international status -- a notion State officials reject. Stephenson said the "ranks of Career Ministers, our three-star equivalents, Sffedew rtontea^ipg thartoe2efl$dert9iprtofcanadtfogt^^ O0BWsri<wefeal/d1attMrfrtaiin41ettettafltia'lDate^ sfilAf^.'Foreign Service Journal. "we would be on the border of being defenseless militarily," said retired ambassador Thomas Boyatt. "We are on Smsdramttehatedip r^ttting^mocrat on the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on State Department and U.S. Agency for dfcrjni)} fflataiHi2f8i(SBpate(AtaOES^ Committee, complained the two agencies are the only executive offices still under the hiring freeze Trump f5Sgaeinyaita hard to square with the stated agenda of making State and the Foreign Service stronger," she said, calling the cuts "a decapitation of tetetary of State Rex Tillerson, as my colleague Carol Morello reported, said "questionable management practices at the Department of iddbenttwimrettaiidiji onrth^MallM^tti|^^tepnt timili(ranng)(nt)dirali^pfa^tinrrai$hte1l^ officers teBdars^tfBfOEfrthoedhBestBaTqlgtr^ldltoetfesrttpiDfhDwaiao 64a|te$ radfrapertoeoOEJb^ diplomacy becoming less effective paint a disturbing picture." State pushed back, saying the Foreign Service is not being gutted and "all hiring freezes are temporary." State data indicate there are 13,873 Foreign Service employees today, compared to 13,980 in 2016 and 2,300 exemptions to the hiring freeze as of late October. "The Department is making sure we have the staff we need," the statement said. "The Secretary has repeatedly said [his] highest priority for the Department is making sure our indispensable career diplomats must have the tools they need to do their jobs for decades to come. The State Department has never had a comprehensive, employee-led review of its functions, and there's no better time than now to see how we can improve them." Reflecting declining spirits at State, one longtime foreign service officer decided to quit because she no longer feels appreciated, let alone indispensable. She's still on the payroll, so she spoke only if not identified. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00002945-00002 With more.than two dozen years serving around the world, she's had a "great, brilliant, fun career." But "when your expertise is not being viewed as valuable," she said, it's time to go. She described a "tight circle of appointees" who leave career people feeling devalued, "very much on the other side of that divide." The morale in the Foggy Bottom headquarters is "pretty grim ... palatable bad." That's just the opposite of what Tillerson said he wants. During a September meeting with U.S. Embassy staffers and their families in London, he claimed "the most important thing I can do is to enable this organization to be more effective, more efficient and for all of you to take greater satisfaction in what you do day in and day out." Tillerson hasn't accomplished his "most important thing" yet. In fact, he's going backward. Read more: [State Department's plan for staff cuts causing new worry in Congress] More from Federal Insider PowerPost Perspective House confronts sexual abuse by its own Belatedly, soci eluding Congress, is coming to realize this abuse of power must stop. By Joe Davidson | Columnist Read more Recommended for you - Get the Morning Mix newsletter 1 A fresh mix of stories from all over that I will be the talk of the morning. : Sign.Up Share Federal insider: _ Click here to view in your browser Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00002945-00003 click here. privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00002945-00004