Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of intentionally weakening the State Department.
“I think he took this job knowing that he was going to oversee the dramatic weakening of this department. And so far, he’s been fairly enthusiastic in that endeavor. I’m deeply worried about the future of the State Department,” Murphy said in an interview with U.S. News published Thursday.
Very few nominees have been announced to fill dozens of open positions requiring confirmation at the State Department.
“At this point, I think you have to view the refusal to staff the State Department as totally intentional,” Murphy said to U.S. News. “I think this administration is intent on neutering the State Department, and I suspect the secretary is complicit in that endeavor.”
When asked about unfilled positions within his administration, President Trump said, “You don’t need all those jobs” in an interview with Fox News in February. Trump and Tillerson have been vocal about cutting back government waste and foreign spending.
U.S. News says Murphy, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, is proposing doubling the foreign affairs budget. Meanwhile, Tillerson has proposed cutting thousands of jobs from the agency and slashing its budget.
