Tillerson Reveals Plan to DISSOLVE US State Department

[CousinIT]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/350792-tillerson-reveals-state-department-reform-plan

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released the first installment of a State Department reform plan on Thursday that may merge the department with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), CNN reports.

The "employee-led" plan was developed through a survey sent to employees of the State Department and USAID, which Tillerson said would be "the most important thing" he would accomplish as head of the department.

Tillerson suggested the State Department may merge with USAID, saying that the plan would aim to "align" the agencies' resources and improve the department's efficiency across the board as well as its technology infrastructure and human resources.

The secretary's proposed plan comes as the Trump administration faces a series of international challenges, including over North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile programs.
Tillerson backed President Trump's plan to slash the department's budget by roughly a third, which was met by resistance from Congress.

The secretary said that his reorganization plan would work to cut more than $10 billion from the department's budget over the next five years, according to CNN.

The plan unveiled Thursday seeks to shave nearly 2,000 jobs through reforms over the next two-and-a-half years.

[madaboutharry]

1. When the next Democrat becomes president and

they need to rebuild the government, Americans will see what a disaster this administration has been for this country.

[Initech]

2. We need to get the adults back in charge!

The kids are just completely ruining everything we have.

[oasis]

3. That's essentially what Hillary was talking about in her Rachel interview.

Tillerson's really doing a number on the State Department.

[TeamPooka]

4. The State Dept as a corporate tool and lackey. That's fascism.

[Achilleaze]

9. $ KaChing, Inc. !

[LisaM]

5. Oh, for cripe's sake.

Yes, in these trying times, my first thought is, "let's make the State Department "lean"!"

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. That's *exactly* what the founders would have wanted.

[pbmus]

7. Exactly what Putin wants...

[Tommy_Carcetti]

10. Which makes Trump's response to the expulsion of State officials from Moscow....

....all the more glaring.

[uponit7771]

18. +1

[CrispyQ]

8. This is what happens when people vote for candidates who hate government.

I never understood that. If you were hiring someone to work at your company, you wouldn't hire the person who told you they hate your company & want to destroy it. There's also the hypocrisy of running for government office when one claims to hate government. I asked my three RWNJ cousins about this & they looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language.

[Caliman73]

12. conditioning

Your cousins most likely, have been conditioned to see government as this distant, separate entity that serves little purpose outside their very narrow interests. It is very likely that they hear it as a completely different language because if they watch Fox and read right wing websites, all they get is how government is bad and trying to destroy their way of life.

[nocalflea]

11. There goes Bob Gate's reputation.

I hope the Exxon blood money was worth it.

[procon]

13. The End of Foreign Aid As We Know It

You know how Republicans hate foreign aid. Rolling State into USAID, which is slated to fail without funding, gives Republicans another opportunity to wag their gnarled fingers and tell us how these agencies are no longer functional so let's just get rid of 'em all.

Trump budget would gut development assistance and fold USAID into State.

sident Donald Trump’s vow to put “America first” includes a plan to drastically cut assistance to developing countries and merge the State Department with USAID, according to an internal budget document and sources.

The administration’s March budget proposal vowed to slash aid to developing countries by over one-third, but contained few details. According to a detailed 15-page State Department budget document obtained by Foreign Policy, the overhaul also includes rechanneling funding from development assistance into a program that is tied closely to national security objectives.

The document details how the Trump administration’s plans to reduce direct foreign assistance would take place in fiscal year 2018.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/24/u-s-agency-for-international-development-foreign-aid-state-department-trump-slash-foreign-funding/

[bitterross]

14. Perhaps I'm in the tinfoil crowd or mistaken but isn't USAID notoriously CIA?

Maybe I've read one too many conspiracy theories so let me know. My impression though, is USAID is used by the CIA in a lot, lot of places as cover and to direct their meddling.

[CousinIT]

15. I don't know but it sounds possible, given the link procon posted

specifically:

"... the overhaul also includes rechanneling funding from development assistance into a program that is tied closely to national security objectives"

[kwassa]

16. employee-led plan? oh, please.

How stupid do you think we are? Apparently, quite stupid. You are in for a surprise, Rex.

[Retrograde]

17. Does he realize

that this will have absolutely no effect on his annual bonus - because he doesn't get one. This reminds me of the short-sighted "get those numbers in now and don't worry about next year" thinking so prevalent in US businesses: CEOs get (in their minds good) publicity by announcing layoffs, then quietly spending more money than saved getting their company back on track.

[CousinIT]

19. bump for evening crowd. n/t

[Hekate]

20. I'm speechless

It's just happening so fucking fast.

[JonLP24]

21. I posted this yesterday -- I'll repost

which made me think about Hillary Clinton's interview. A lot of people in the State Department are spies with "official cover" and I was thinking about Tillerson's decision to cut the department by 30% not to mention all the resignations and the fact this guy met with Putin has me feeling it was the intention to do his bidding by gutting us from the inside. I feel it was a very deliberate action rather than the explanation of trying to save money or make it more efficient. I also think this is the reason Clinton mentioned over and over the need of "intensive diplomacy" when it comes to the North Korea situation.


-----

The vast majority of the agency’s overseas officers are under what is known as “official cover,” which means they are posing as employees of another government agency. The State Department allows hundreds of its positions in embassies around the world to be occupied by CIA officers representing themselves as diplomats.

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/cias-secret-agents-hide-under-a-variety-of-covers/

While I always found "threat to national security" a little ridiculous like we're some poor defenseless nation but this right here is literally hurting our national security. Plus I think it's all part of Putin's plan which is why I reposted those words.