State Department diplomats and officials struggle to eat or pay rent while Trump and Democrats tussle over the 2019 government shutdown.
As the partial government shutdown stretches on with no clear end in sight, it’s affecting US embassy staff around the world — and making it harder for the US to conduct diplomacy abroad.
Many of the State Department’s roughly 75,000 employees —50,000 are employed locally in US embassies abroad— have found trouble progressing with their work and even, in some cases, struggling to put food on the table while they wait for the White House and Congress to strike a deal. That’s a big problem, since the State Department is America’s leading foreign relations agency. It now means that American foreign policy is, at best, running on fumes.
The partial shutdown began in December, after President Donald Trump demanded around $5 billion for a border wall, a request Democrats have refused to comply with. The shutdown poses an optics problem for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is currently on a crucial trip to the Middle East to reassure allies that the US won’t fully withdraw from Syria. He and his wife — who has accompanied him to the region — will rely on the work of staff who aren’t getting paid to make the trip successful.
(Full disclosure: My wife works at the State Department.)
After speaking with seven State Department officials on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press (none of whom were my wife), I learned that many employees are struggling with the basics of everyday living, in addition to completing their work responsibilities. Together, theypaint a picture of a vital workforce in professional and personal crisis — with no clear end in sight.
A State Department spokesperson told me, “The Department’s plan prioritizes both the protection of the United States’ critical national security interests and the safety of US citizens abroad,” adding that “the Department will carry out functions related to protecting national security, health, and life safety.
