During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last week, Rep. Julia Johnson (D-TX) slammed the Trump Administration and Sec. Marco Rubio actions within the State Department.
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00:00The Biggs, Representative Johnson. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. You know, I appreciate
00:05that you are trying to follow in the footsteps of Ranking Member Meeks and reauthorize the State
00:12Department. But this process is being done, is not being done in a transparent or bipartisan way.
00:19An org chart alone does not tell us how offices will be staffed and how technical expertise will
00:25be retained, whether budget and resource allocations will reflect the mergings of offices and restructuring
00:31of foreign assistance, or whether the remaining offices will have the independence and authority
00:36to do a good work regardless of which politicians are in office. But Republicans have refused to
00:42hold even one hearing to date with Secretary Rubio to explain to the American people why they are
00:48dismantling vital agencies and programs. I understand from today that he hopefully will come to test
00:55before this committee, and I hope in fact that that actually happens. The administration has
01:01already slashed our interagency regardless of congressional authorization or input and reportedly
01:06plans to downsize our global presence by closing dozens of embassies and consulates. This reorganization
01:12would have a dramatic U.S. national security implications, constitutes an unjustified seismic
01:18shift in the U.S. foreign policy enterprise, and includes many proposed measures that would be
01:23illegal and without congressional action. Let me be clear, what has been proposed by Republicans in this
01:28administration would make us less safe and risk American lives. The State Department, USAID, and its
01:36diplomatic corps have been the backbone of American foreign policy, advancing U.S. interests, strengthening
01:42alliances, and responding to global crisis. Democrats have never shied away from conversations about improving the
01:49existing system, but slashing their workforces, closing embassies, consulates, and missions, and dismantling
01:55key bureaus is reckless and cripples our inability to conduct diplomacy, counter China and Russia, and maintain
02:02our way of life. The administration must engage with Congress, including testifying before us to
02:09explain and defend these plans to restructure the country's premier diplomatic agencies. Otherwise, this is not a serious or thoughtful
02:17process, and Democrats will not rubber stamp half-baked dangerous challenges.
02:22You know, I'm also, I'm very concerned about just the lack of stability.
02:27I believe one of you testified in response to another member's question,
02:31just the ongoing nature of administration to administration to administration, and I'm very concerned
02:38about what that does to the role of U.S. stability in the world with, is how people view us as a partner,
02:45and are we less stable? Are we less reliable? Can they not? Are we subject to such broad changing whims?
02:53And it makes us, I think, an unreliable partner, and it's very concerning to me. And also, I think this
03:00process of reorganization is appropriate. It's something we should absolutely do in a thoughtful,
03:08reasoned manner. But what's happened is the administration has taken a wrecking ball to our
03:14foreign policy, and then we're supposed to come back and take a look at it in the review mirror.
03:21And that's not how the process is designed to work. The process should be, we should have people come in
03:27and testify regarding various programs and let us determine, have they fulfilled their mission? Did they
03:31never achieve the intended purpose? Have they exceeded their authority? Or whatever the case may be.
03:37And then this committee should be able to go through and decide and give directives. These are the
03:42programs that Congress chooses to fund. Rather than that, the administration has just obliterated them
03:47all, expecting this committee to rubber stamp it in full. So my question to you is, what would be the
03:53practical impact of a nearly 50 percent cut to the department's budget request by the administration on the
03:59state department's programming and personnel? I think we're close on time. So Dr. Zia?
04:06I would just repeat the point I made earlier, Congresswoman. It doesn't add up. And you know,
04:12a 15 percent domestic staffing cut combined with a 50, 5-0 percent operational cut, it's very hard for me
04:20to imagine how, you know, this conversation has been about meeting 21st century challenges, streamlining
04:27decision-making, yes, absolutely, to be able to be more agile, more impactful for the American people.
04:34There's a lot of explaining to do how this could possibly happen with, it isn't even attenuated. That
04:40is a, that is an unprecedented cut and chop to U.S. diplomatic operations.
04:48And we're talking about things like oversight, which are absolutely essential. How do you do that all
04:54with far fewer salaries paid and operations in place when our adversaries are in maximum overdrive?
05:03Right. Thank you. I'm out of time. Thank you so much. And I yield back.
05:06Thank you, Representative Johnson. I know it was before your time.