Reporter Grills State Dept Spox About How Much It Will Cost To Terminate Foreign USAID Workers

2 days ago

During Friday’s State Department press briefing, Spokesperson Tammy Bruce answered questions about USAID downsizing.

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Transcript

00:00Hi.

00:01Yes.

00:02QUESTION.

00:03Thanks.

00:04Just staying on USAID or USAID.

00:05MR PALLADINO.

00:06Sure.

00:07QUESTION.

00:08Today, USAID Foreign Service officers received a reduction-in-force notice, the ones – this

00:13is hundreds of officers who are based abroad for USAID.

00:19Can you confirm that all Foreign Service officers' positions will be terminated now and that

00:25they will all be coming home?

00:28And do you have or will there be transparency on how much it's going to cost to bring

00:34home hundreds of USAID Foreign Service officers' home, including their families, those, as

00:41you know, that have been based abroad and have their whole lives integrated into different

00:44countries abroad?

00:45Some of them have been working abroad for many, many years.

00:48MR PALLADINO.

00:49Yes.

00:50The Secretary has mentioned throughout this process, I've mentioned to you, that with

00:54any major change, there's going to be disruption.

00:58This particular review and project to assess the nature of waste and fraud and abuse and

01:06whether or not these programs and the grants align with America's priorities has been

01:12public news, worldwide news.

01:14We've discussed it openly.

01:16We've seen what's happened.

01:18And so it's something that I think most people – we've been waiting for this conclusion.

01:23It has arrived.

01:24I can't speak to the number of people who will not be a Foreign Service officer at this

01:32point.

01:33I can't say if it's going to be every single one.

01:36It is – there will be a point where I don't have to speak about fluid situations and things

01:41that are changing and moving every day.

01:44But of course, this is a part – it's a restructuring, essentially.

01:48And there's going to be – from one statement made that there'll be from USAID and a statement

01:57about the last mission, if you will, is that like any restructuring, there will inevitably

02:02be disruptions.

02:03From Secretary Rubio down, we are committed to ensuring that USAID personnel remain safe

02:08and that the agency's ongoing lifesaving aid programs remain both intact and operational.

02:14And it's something that we're committed to.

02:18There are periods of time for blocks of individuals to come home and to be separated.

02:24But it's dynamic when you're looking at such a reorganization that's going to happen.

02:31We will, I'm sure, with this being a public story, have more information every day.

02:36And when that's possible, as I seek it out, I will bring it to you.

Reporter Grills State Dept Spox About How Much It Will Cost To Terminate Foreign USAID Workers

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