One of the first casualties of President Trump’s murky dealings with Ukraine has been the United States Foreign Service, the group of nonpartisan career professionals who serve as America’s primary point of contact with the world beyond our borders. While the House impeachment inquiry has rightly become a top priority, Congress must also act to repair the substantial damage Mr. Trump has caused to the effectiveness and morale of our diplomats and other State Department employees.
Mr. Trump’s disdain for career diplomats was on display in his now infamous July 25 phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, during which he disparaged a highly respected Foreign Service officer, Marie Yovanovitch, as “bad news.” Ms. Yovanovitch was Mr. Trump’s ambassador to Ukraine until he recalled her in May. Her firing sent shock waves through the ranks at the State Department.
Mr. Trump has never explained why he fired Ms. Yovanovitch. He sidelined her and other career diplomats and permitted a private citizen, Rudy Giuliani, to hijack the administration’s interactions with the new Ukrainian government. The House of Representatives should investigate.
Last week Mr. Trump attempted again to intimidate the diplomatic corps, telling American diplomats at the United States Mission to the United Nations that whoever in the administration gave information to the anonymous whistle-blower was “close to a spy.” Mr. Trump’s statement was at odds with the obligation of every federal employee to tell the truth and adhere to the law.
And over the weekend we learned that the Trump administration was investigating the emails of as many as 130 current or retired senior State Department officials, focusing on messages they sent to Hillary Clinton’s private email account when she was secretary of state. The administration has informed these officials that unclassified emails they sent years ago have been retroactively categorized as classified, making the officials potentially guilty of security violations. This is a meanspirited attempt to embarrass government employees.
Morale at the State Department has plummeted following this barrage of attacks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo owes it to the men and women of the department to stand up for their nonpartisan service and defend them from the president’s bullying and persecution. Unfortunately, Mr. Pompeo seems unlikely to do this. His heated criticism on Tuesday of three congressional committees that are looking to depose diplomats involved in our Ukraine policy is not the sort of “support” our diplomats need right now.
No modern president has been as dismissive and even contemptuous of the State Department as Mr. Trump. He clearly does not understand or value the department. He has tried to slash its budget, advocating it be cut by a third in 2017 and nearly a quarter in 2018, only to be blocked by a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate. Unlike other presidents, Mr. Trump has not appointed senior career State Department officers to important positions in the White House.
Mr. Trump also has the stingiest record of any recent president when it comes to appointing career Foreign Service officers to ambassadorships. Since the Kennedy administration, presidents when naming ambassadors have adhered to a formula of about 70 percent career diplomats and 30 percent political appointees. Mr. Trump’s appointees among career diplomats amount to only about 55 percent of ambassadorships. Only one of the 28 prestigious assistant secretary positions at the State Department is filled by a career officer — the lowest ever.
Democrats and Republicans in Congress must act to protect the State Department and the Foreign Service from Mr. Trump’s overt attacks and implicit disregard. The House in its impeachment inquiry should reaffirm the need for the State Department to be in charge of our relations with foreign countries. It should also examine how private citizens like Mr. Giuliani may have encroached on or usurped those responsibilities. For its part, the Senate should demand that the president send for ambassadorial confirmation a substantially higher number of career officers.
Congress should also begin work on a bill to reauthorize the Foreign Service in its central mission, structure and responsibilities, which was last done in 1980. Given the changes in the global economy, technology and global balance of power — and in light of this president’s antagonistic relationship with the State Department — reaffirming and strengthening the role and mission of our career diplomats is a necessity.
The State Department is in crisis. Mr. Trump has done enormous harm to its mission and self- confidence. Republicans and Democrats in Congress must take steps to rescue an American institution that with proper support and presidential leadership, could help make America a great and respected global power once again.
Nicholas Burns (@RNicholasBurns), a former under secretary of state and ambassador to NATO, teaches diplomacy and international relations at Harvard. He is an adviser to Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s presidential campaign.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: [email protected].
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.
Source: Read Full Article
Home » Analysis & Comment » Opinion | Trump’s Assault on the State Department Must Be Stopped
Opinion | Trump’s Assault on the State Department Must Be Stopped
One of the first casualties of President Trump’s murky dealings with Ukraine has been the United States Foreign Service, the group of nonpartisan career professionals who serve as America’s primary point of contact with the world beyond our borders. While the House impeachment inquiry has rightly become a top priority, Congress must also act to repair the substantial damage Mr. Trump has caused to the effectiveness and morale of our diplomats and other State Department employees.
Mr. Trump’s disdain for career diplomats was on display in his now infamous July 25 phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, during which he disparaged a highly respected Foreign Service officer, Marie Yovanovitch, as “bad news.” Ms. Yovanovitch was Mr. Trump’s ambassador to Ukraine until he recalled her in May. Her firing sent shock waves through the ranks at the State Department.
Mr. Trump has never explained why he fired Ms. Yovanovitch. He sidelined her and other career diplomats and permitted a private citizen, Rudy Giuliani, to hijack the administration’s interactions with the new Ukrainian government. The House of Representatives should investigate.
Last week Mr. Trump attempted again to intimidate the diplomatic corps, telling American diplomats at the United States Mission to the United Nations that whoever in the administration gave information to the anonymous whistle-blower was “close to a spy.” Mr. Trump’s statement was at odds with the obligation of every federal employee to tell the truth and adhere to the law.
And over the weekend we learned that the Trump administration was investigating the emails of as many as 130 current or retired senior State Department officials, focusing on messages they sent to Hillary Clinton’s private email account when she was secretary of state. The administration has informed these officials that unclassified emails they sent years ago have been retroactively categorized as classified, making the officials potentially guilty of security violations. This is a meanspirited attempt to embarrass government employees.
Morale at the State Department has plummeted following this barrage of attacks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo owes it to the men and women of the department to stand up for their nonpartisan service and defend them from the president’s bullying and persecution. Unfortunately, Mr. Pompeo seems unlikely to do this. His heated criticism on Tuesday of three congressional committees that are looking to depose diplomats involved in our Ukraine policy is not the sort of “support” our diplomats need right now.
No modern president has been as dismissive and even contemptuous of the State Department as Mr. Trump. He clearly does not understand or value the department. He has tried to slash its budget, advocating it be cut by a third in 2017 and nearly a quarter in 2018, only to be blocked by a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate. Unlike other presidents, Mr. Trump has not appointed senior career State Department officers to important positions in the White House.
Mr. Trump also has the stingiest record of any recent president when it comes to appointing career Foreign Service officers to ambassadorships. Since the Kennedy administration, presidents when naming ambassadors have adhered to a formula of about 70 percent career diplomats and 30 percent political appointees. Mr. Trump’s appointees among career diplomats amount to only about 55 percent of ambassadorships. Only one of the 28 prestigious assistant secretary positions at the State Department is filled by a career officer — the lowest ever.
Democrats and Republicans in Congress must act to protect the State Department and the Foreign Service from Mr. Trump’s overt attacks and implicit disregard. The House in its impeachment inquiry should reaffirm the need for the State Department to be in charge of our relations with foreign countries. It should also examine how private citizens like Mr. Giuliani may have encroached on or usurped those responsibilities. For its part, the Senate should demand that the president send for ambassadorial confirmation a substantially higher number of career officers.
Congress should also begin work on a bill to reauthorize the Foreign Service in its central mission, structure and responsibilities, which was last done in 1980. Given the changes in the global economy, technology and global balance of power — and in light of this president’s antagonistic relationship with the State Department — reaffirming and strengthening the role and mission of our career diplomats is a necessity.
The State Department is in crisis. Mr. Trump has done enormous harm to its mission and self- confidence. Republicans and Democrats in Congress must take steps to rescue an American institution that with proper support and presidential leadership, could help make America a great and respected global power once again.
Nicholas Burns (@RNicholasBurns), a former under secretary of state and ambassador to NATO, teaches diplomacy and international relations at Harvard. He is an adviser to Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s presidential campaign.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: [email protected].
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.
Source: Read Full Article