Oppose State Department Firings - Without Effective Diplomacy, We Are Not Safe

Peace through diplomacy is now under threat from our own government. We are not safe. Today I take pen in hand to urge you in the strongest possible terms to oppose and condemn the Trump administration's plan to lay off over 1,300 State Department employees. This will have direct and indirect side effects on will undermine America's global leadership, and invite conflict into the space left empty by the incompetent Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He ought to be impeached and removed from office. Why is he even in office if not to promote peace? This is not America First, this puts America last. It is nothing less than a complete abandonment of generations of U.S. diplomacy. These moves will create a drag on U.S. Trade negotiations, and that means U.S. business, the investment in those companies, and the workers will see their markets close up, and unfair and corrupt practices will take the place in world markets. The free market only exists when peace is the first priority in many parts of the world. Are we to have Citibank negotiating for peace to avoid economic losses? Of course, authoritarian governments don’t need peace, they thrive on war and conflict, but NOT their economies or businesses. These draconian cuts, which eliminate key offices focused on human rights, democracy promotion, and refugee resettlement, signal a alarming shift away from values-based diplomacy. Dismissing so many dedicated civil servants and diplomats will deprive the United States of vital expertise at a time when we face an array of complex global challenges. There are always conflicts, and there’s a need for negotiation and promotion of human rights, civil rights, women’s rights the world over. Stripping the State Department of its core functions is short-sighted and will only diminish America's ability to project influence and protect its interests abroad, and at home. It makes us a target for aggression for proxy terrorism at an even higher scale than before! I urge you to forcefully oppose this reckless reorganization plan, which threatens to irreparably weaken U.S. diplomacy and tarnish our standing on the world stage. A strong and fully-staffed State Department is essential for advancing American security and upholding our nation's founding ideals. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter of National Security.