Statement on Mass Layoffs at Department of State

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on Friday in response to reports that the U.S. Department of State is implementing a major reduction in force: 

“President Trump’s decision to eliminate over 1,300 positions at the State Department comes at a time when the world needs American leadership to be stronger, not weaker. America is most powerful when we fully employ the three Ds of national security – Development, Diplomacy, and Defense. Trump’s action comes just months after he illegally dismantled USAID and ended decades of bipartisan American leadership on preventing HIV/AIDS, ending starvation, and aiding child and maternal health. Now he is further weakening America’s ability to advance stability, peace, and prosperity through multilateral cooperation, which leaves our nation more vulnerable.

“On behalf of a grateful nation, I offer my sincere appreciation to the career diplomats whose work to advance American interests around the globe has been cut short by a shortsighted person who values personal loyalty over the national interest.”

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