State Department layoffs affect key Trump priorities like intelligence, energy and China

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and MATTHEW LEE WASHINGTON AP One employee coordinated intelligence programs Another worked to leverage U S potency interests abroad And a third was an expert on strategic competition with China They are just selected of the more than State Department employees fired last week eliminating hundreds of years of institutional knowledge and experience The move has stunned America s diplomatic workforce not only as their careers abruptly end but as they wonder who if anyone will fill in on what they call critical work to keep the U S safe and competitive on the world stage Various of the positions and offices abolished Friday under Secretary of State Marco Rubio s dramatic reorganization plan overlap with priorities President Donald Trump has laid out for his second term such as combating visa fraud and countering China Other cuts could have wide impact on everyday life including processing Americans passport applications Trump administration officers have defended the mass dismissals saying they are overdue and necessary to make the department leaner and more efficient State Department employees applaud as their colleagues walk through the lobby of the State Department headquarters in the Harry S Truman Building Friday July in Washington AP Photo Mark Schiefelbein U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a media briefing during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur Friday July Mandel Ngan Pool Photo via AP FILE State Department employees applaud as their colleagues walk through the lobby of the State Department headquarters in the Harry S Truman Building July in Washington AP Photo Mark Schiefelbein File FILE A fired State Department employee left is greeted outside of the Harry S Truman Building the headquarters of the State Department in Washington July AP Photo Manuel Balce Ceneta File Show Caption of State Department employees applaud as their colleagues walk through the lobby of the State Department headquarters in the Harry S Truman Building Friday July in Washington AP Photo Mark Schiefelbein Expand Where the State Department cuts are hitting Among the employees laid off are more than people who worked in the Bureau of Consular Affairs which is self-funded from passport and visa fees That includes half of a squad that investigated passport fraud and people who oversaw contracts to provide American citizen services including processing passport applications in the U S and abroad according to a list compiled by current and former foreign institution officers and sent to Congress this week Others fired included experts responsible for dealing with visa fraud and money laundering in Russia and Eastern Europe as well as transnational criminal organizations and migrant worker visa fraud in Mexico and Central America A small company that had worked on multilateral engagements in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs including supporting Rubio s trip to Malaysia last week also were fired as Rubio was flying back to Washington from Kuala Lumpur according to the list A handful of employees mentioned their small office was eliminated even though it was doing work on immigration that the administration had deemed a priority They thought their jobs were safe and several were on vacation when the notices started rolling in It came out of the blue and there s no one left to do what we were doing revealed one of the laid-off employees who has more than years of experience Fired employees speak out about their work In interviews with The Associated Press more than half a dozen employees who got notice to clear out their desks described their work as crucial For selected the governing body spent tens of thousands of dollars investing in their language skills providing training or moving them and their families from one overseas posting to another They spoke on the condition of anonymity fearing reprisal from the agency where they remain on the payroll until September The American people aren t getting all of the facts about what the department has done revealed a civil provision officer working in intelligence who was fired last week Related Articles Urban League declares a state of crisis for civil rights in the US in response to Trump Nationwide protests planned against Trump s immigration crackdown and strength care cuts Republican senators caution Trump against firing Fed chair Jerome Powell Trump s approval rating on immigration and administration spending has slipped new poll finds Editorial Cut cut cut GBH The person commented the intelligence work their association had been doing has now been transferred to an office that doesn t have the maximum to handle the sensitive material and coordination required One senior official who was fired after years in the foreign operation disclosed their office was working to maintain U S vitality dominance abroad Rubio testified at his confirmation hearing earlier this year that potency would be a centerpiece of our foreign strategy The fact that they got rid of all the resource experts who would promote oil and gas sales overseas clearly undermines everything that they re saying the official declared At least seven intelligence analysts who specialized in Russia and Ukraine issues as well as five fluent Chinese speakers also were let go according to two of the employees A staffer focused on strategic competition with China announced the decision to lay off staff who had institutional and cultural knowledge of China and spoke the language could leave the U S exposed He added that Rubio had not long ago labeled the country as the the majority notable long-term liability to the United States The State Department says it demands to be nimble Although the dismissals were less severe than a great number of feared they re a major concern for staffers being tasked with additional duties to make up for losses in key areas like intelligence and research consular affairs diplomatic protection power and international and educational organizations Before a panel of deeply skeptical Democratic lawmakers Michael Rigas the State Department official who sent employees the layoff notices tried Wednesday to allay concerns that the cuts would have a devastating impact on U S diplomacy He denied accusations that the layoffs were conducted in a haphazard and irresponsible manner to the detriment of national guard Rigas deputy secretary of state for management made the incident to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the department with more than employees worldwide had grown exponentially and that a massive reorganization was needed to keep it relevant and nimble to respond to foreign crises and strategy challenges The department became large and began to lose its way becoming ineffectual bureaucratically spokesperson Tammy Bruce narrated reporters Wednesday She added that it wasn t the fault of the people who were in those seats but the structure itself Rigas stated those laid off Friday are on administrative leave foreign institution officers for days and civil servants for days and they could have the opportunity to apply for other positions once a government-wide hiring freeze is lifted Booker confronts Trump administration official Selected senators were not buying Rigas argument and sharp disagreements erupted into a shouting match after New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker accused Rigas of lying to lawmakers this week over the extent of the staff reductions Booker was visibly angry as he wielded a list of what he noted were misstatements half-truths or lies in Rigas testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee a day earlier about the firings I don t trust you Mr Rigas Booker revealed Your statements lack veracity This is outrageous Rigas replied as he tried to respond over multiple interruptions from Booker Booker s list resembled the one compiled by current and former foreign facility officers identifying certain eliminated positions that Rigas noted had been largely spared Sir you have not been truthful Booker revealed I have watched you lie to this committee I have watched you lie to the House committee Amiri broadcasted from New York