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As global crises multiply, scores of US diplomats say they have been forced out

2026-05-16T15:00:50.902Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/16/politics/global-crises-state-department-cuts

Amid ongoing foreign policy crises around the globe and as the Trump administration struggles to reach a deal to end the war with Iran, the State Department last week finalized the firings of nearly 250 foreign service officers in a brief, impersonal email.

“Your reduction in force separation will be effective today,” part of it read. “Thank you again for your service to the Department.”

Those reductions in force (RIFs), which were initiated last July, also impacted more than 1,000 civil service officers, and saw the firings of entire staffs in offices that former officials say would have been able to provide guidance on the war in Iran, which is having severe consequences for the US and global economy. The State Department has consistently maintained that the RIFs were meant to eliminate redundancies and that work on key issues was maintained and moved to different offices.

Beyond the firings, scores of experienced foreign service officers with decades of experience have retired. Nearly a dozen former officials who spoke with CNN said it is clear that the Trump administration has no upward assignments or promotions, like ambassadorships, available for career diplomats, leaving them with no options in an “up or out” system.

“It was just unprecedented numbers of people choosing to leave,” said David Kostelancik, who retired after 36 years in the foreign service. The American Foreign Service Association estimates that roughly 2,000 foreign service officers left the State Department last year.

Meanwhile, more than 100 ambassador posts around the world, including in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Russia, do not have a Senate confirmed ambassador, setting the US far behind the likes of adversaries like China.

And the most sensitive diplomatic negotiations, on fraught topics like ending the war in Iran and securing an end to the Ukraine conflict, are being led by business associates and family members of President Donald Trump, often without teams of experienced diplomats with regional expertise.

Taken together, the actions represent what former diplomats say is a systematic hollowing out of the State Department that Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his first day pledged to empower. Although the agency has begun hiring new diplomats, the loss of experienced personnel, the former officials say, will have far-reaching consequences for the US’ ability to project power and deliver on its priorities both now and for years to come.

“I think historians will look back on this period as one of the great unforced errors that the United States imposes on itself,” former career ambassador John Bass told CNN.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the idea that the agency was being hollowed out is “false,” and the claim that the loss of hundreds of experienced diplomats will impact US’ ability to deliver on its priorities is “baseless.”

“Our reorganization eliminated redundant positions, streamlined efforts by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, and empowered our diplomatic corps,” he said, referring to the sweeping overhaul within the department.

Pigott said that “the RIF’s are not having any negative impact on our ability to respond to operations, our ability to plan, and our ability to execute in service to Americans.”

“In fact, we have been able to respond quicker and more effectively, which was the entire point of the reorg – to empower personnel in the field while allowing us to move at the ‘speed of relevancy,’” he claimed.

Erik Holmgren was a career foreign service officer who had worked around the world, including in Russia and Mexico. His last assignment at the State Department was serving as Director of the Office for Energy Diplomacy for the Middle East and Asia, which worked on energy security, energy access, critical minerals and with private industry.

The entire Bureau of Energy Resources, which housed the Office of Energy Diplomacy, was eliminated as part of the reorganization. The entire staff in his office was fired, he told CNN.

Pigott said the “critical capabilities” of the Bureau of Energy Resources were moved to the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs. The House Foreign Affairs Committee last week voted for bipartisan legislation that would revive a “Bureau of Energy Security and Diplomacy.”.

Holmgren noted that the work of the bureau and the experts who worked there would have been highly relevant in helping to advise the administration, as well as industry partners with whom they had relationships, on the crisis with Iran.

For example, he said that one of the focuses of his office was “trying to make it a lot harder for Iran to deliver crude”– something that is of key interest during the war.

His office, he told CNN, was “using all the policy tools we could to try to help deal with Iran and weaken the regime.” And they could have provided further warnings about the need to manage the “chokepoint in Hormuz.” That chokepoint has snarled traffic through the critical strait, driving up fuel prices and threatening humanitarian catastrophe as many parts of the world are cut off from key fertilizer supplies.

Holmgren said his office was also working to diversify the energy supply to Iraq, which relies heavily on Iran, and they had a whole team in the bureau to work with private industry, including on “$12 billion of contracts for US firms to … help Iraq develop their own energy resources.”

Pigott told CNN that the State Department’s “energy policy teams are performing better than ever,” with the Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Bureau, “coordinating the release of strategic reserves with allies and partners in response to Iran’s attacks.”

Former officials argue that when the US was working to evacuate stranded Americans from the Middle East and navigate the perils of the early weeks of the war in Iran, they could have used the expertise and institutional knowledge of their career staff, including those who had been RIF’d or retired.

In March, the State Department rejected the assertion that the RIFs impacted their assistance to US citizens stranded in the Middle East or to State’s consular operations and said “hundreds of experience personnel” were working on a task force to help Americans.

Throughout the region – and the world – there is a significant absence of confirmed US ambassadors. According to the American Foreign Service Association, 115 of 195 ambassador posts are vacant, as of Tuesday.

In many countries, if the head of an embassy is not a confirmed ambassador, they may not have access to the senior level officials in that government, multiple former officials told CNN.

Asked about the large number of vacant ambassador posts, Pigott said, “The President has the right to determine who represents the American people and interests around the world.”

“The transition away from Biden-era ambassadors is not news nor should it be surprising,” he said. In December, the State Department recalled at least two dozen career ambassadors who were added to their posts during the Biden administration.

“The Department has confidence in our ability to communicate with our counterparts around the world and advance the national interest,” he said. “In those embassies without a Senate-approved ambassador, experienced chargé d’affaires lead the missions.”

‘Fealty’ over expertise and experience

Many former officials noted that the administration has largely spurned the inclusion of career personnel on key diplomatic crises, instead relying on a small circle of trusted advisers.

Former officials say the lack of appreciation for experience and preference for “fealty,” in the words of Bass, has created an environment meant to drive career people to leave – or instill fear in those who remain.

Multiple officials told CNN that the annual evaluation system, which is used for promotions for current diplomats, has changed to include a tenet for “fidelity” to the administration’s policies. Multiple officials also said that there is now a bell curve on the reviews, which is likely to further stymie promotions because it limits how many people can be highly ranked.

“You’re going to have a lot of people who are doing really fantastic work, who are going to end up being sort of mid-ranked because you’re forcing this bell curve statistic limitation on them,” another former career diplomat said.

Pigott said that “the recalibration of the employee performance review system has been under discussion for years and is long overdue.”

“Under Secretary Rubio’s leadership, the change was thoughtfully done in a way that mirrors best practices from across the government and makes the reviews actually meaningful in measuring performance,” he said. “This evaluation process will ensure that foreign service employees, through these data-driven evaluations, can better find roles that fit their strengths to help serve the Department.”

“We have one fundamental goal: to implement President Trump’s America First foreign policy to make our nation safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” he noted.

Even for senior career diplomats who want to stay, there are not positions available. Under the Foreign Service Act of 1980, ambassadors overseas have 90 days to find another assignment or retire.

“They’re trying to use that again to force people into retirement, because those folks who are still able to work, or still want to work, they’re not finding positions,” the former career diplomat said.

Within the State Department, positions that normally went to senior diplomats, like resident teaching positions, have been eliminated. At the headquarters, many assistant secretary posts have been left vacant or filled with unconfirmed senior bureau officials, several of whom are fellows in the Ben Franklin Fellowship, an organization committed to “advancing traditional American diplomacy based on national interests, US sovereignty, and secure borders.”

The administration “wants a set of professionals in the field who are only going to do what they’re told, who will not push back on decisions, who are not going to provide alternative viewpoints,” said Bass, who served as a US ambassador to Afghanistan, Turkey, and Georgia.

However, “it’s precisely that kind of expertise that has kept us from making even bigger mistakes,” he told CNN.

And that expertise is not easily replaced. Kostelancik, who served around the world and as a foreign policy adviser to the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, said that the retirements and RIF’s are a “squandering of the investment that the US government, that the taxpayers, have made in us over decades, in training, in working overseas.”

“The Foreign Service is an apprenticeship profession. You can’t just drop someone in from the outside. Diplomacy requires skills that are built over years, in the field,” said Ryan Gliha, , who spent most of his 23-year career in the foreign service in the Middle East before he was let go.

He noted that beyond Washington, DC, the hollowing out may end up being felt by everyday Americans.

“Most Americans don’t have a strong opinion on the Foreign Service because they rarely interact with us directly — we’re largely invisible to their daily lives,” Gliha said. “But we have a profound effect on this country’s prosperity: the trade deals we negotiate, the American businesses we promote overseas, the crises we defuse before they escalate, the help we provide citizens in trouble abroad.”

巴基斯坦内政部长抵达德黑兰 推动伊美和平谈判

2026年5月16日 23:39 / 联合早报

4月11日，巴基斯坦内政部长穆赫辛·纳克维抵达伊斯兰堡，与巴基斯坦总理谢谢里夫和美国副总统万斯会晤。 （路透社）

巴基斯坦内政部长纳克维抵达伊朗首都德黑兰，推动伊朗和美国之间的和平谈判。

尽管双方达成了脆弱的停火协议，但谈判仍陷入僵局。

伊朗塔斯尼姆通讯社报道称：“纳克维星期六（5月16日）抵达伊朗伊斯兰共和国，进行为期两天的正式访问，这是巴基斯坦为促进谈判和推动地区和平所做的持续努力的一部分。”

伊朗内政部长莫梅尼迎接到访的纳克维。纳克维此次访问德黑兰是在巴基斯坦颇具影响力的陆军参谋长穆尼尔访问德黑兰几天之后进行的。

伊斯兰堡一直在积极斡旋伊朗和美国之间的和平谈判，上个月主持了双方代表团的高级别会晤。

新华社引述伊朗媒体消息报道，消息人士称，此次访问此前并未公开宣布，纳克维预计将与包括伊朗内政部长在内的多名伊方官员进行会谈。

美国与以色列于2月28日袭击伊朗，自4月8日停火以来，冲突已基本平息。

法新社报道，伊朗外长阿拉格齐星期五说，德黑兰已收到来自华盛顿的信息，表明特朗普政府愿意继续进行谈判。

伊朗首席谈判代表兼议长卡利巴夫星期二说，在特朗普拒绝伊朗的反提议并警告停火岌岌可危后，华盛顿应该接受德黑兰提出的和平方案，否则将面临失败。

卡利巴夫在社交媒体上发文称：“除了接受伊朗提出的14点和平方案中所列的权利之外，别无选择。任何其他做法都将毫无结果，只会导致一次又一次的失败。”

巴基斯坦内政部长抵达德黑兰 推动伊美和平谈判

2026年5月16日 23:39 / 联合早报

4月11日，巴基斯坦内政部长穆赫辛·纳克维抵达伊斯兰堡，与巴基斯坦总理谢谢里夫和美国副总统万斯会晤。 （路透社）

巴基斯坦内政部长纳克维抵达伊朗首都德黑兰，推动伊朗和美国之间的和平谈判。

尽管双方达成了脆弱的停火协议，但谈判仍陷入僵局。

伊朗塔斯尼姆通讯社报道称：“纳克维星期六（5月16日）抵达伊朗伊斯兰共和国，进行为期两天的正式访问，这是巴基斯坦为促进谈判和推动地区和平所做的持续努力的一部分。”

伊朗内政部长莫梅尼迎接到访的纳克维。纳克维此次访问德黑兰是在巴基斯坦颇具影响力的陆军参谋长穆尼尔访问德黑兰几天之后进行的。

伊斯兰堡一直在积极斡旋伊朗和美国之间的和平谈判，上个月主持了双方代表团的高级别会晤。

据报伊朗谈判立场更强硬 表明须采伊方条件才可结束战争
特朗普称美伊或达成协议 伊朗斥未顾及现实

新华社引述伊朗媒体消息报道，消息人士称，此次访问此前并未公开宣布，纳克维预计将与包括伊朗内政部长在内的多名伊方官员进行会谈。

美国与以色列于2月28日袭击伊朗，自4月8日停火以来，冲突已基本平息。

法新社报道，伊朗外长阿拉格齐星期五说，德黑兰已收到来自华盛顿的信息，表明特朗普政府愿意继续进行谈判。

伊朗首席谈判代表兼议长卡利巴夫星期二说，在特朗普拒绝伊朗的反提议并警告停火岌岌可危后，华盛顿应该接受德黑兰提出的和平方案，否则将面临失败。

卡利巴夫在社交媒体上发文称：“除了接受伊朗提出的14点和平方案中所列的权利之外，别无选择。任何其他做法都将毫无结果，只会导致一次又一次的失败。”

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Trump’s drive for political revenge faces a key test in Saturday’s Louisiana Senate primary

May 16, 2026, 8:00 AM ET / CNN

By Patrick Svitek
Updated May 16, 2026, 10:14 AM ET

Sen. Bill Cassidy at the US Capitol on March 10.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s drive for political revenge faces a key test Saturday in Louisiana, where he is looking to defeat Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy five years after Cassidy voted to convict him in his second impeachment.

Trump has backed Rep. Julia Letlow against Cassidy, though a second challenger — Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming — has run a spirited race and made it likely that no candidate receives a majority of the vote, which would trigger a June 27 runoff.

It is a crucial time for Trump’s ability to show he can unseat fellow Republicans who cross him. The Louisiana election comes three days before Trump hopes to beat Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie in his primary, a race that has drawn more attention.

Unseating a senator would be a new feat for Trump. While some of his intraparty detractors in the Senate have chosen not to seek reelection rather than face his wrath, he has never backed a primary challenger to a GOP senator who lost that primary. And it is rare for a Republican senator to lose renomination — the last time it happened was in 2017, when an appointed senator, Luther Strange of Alabama, was defeated in a primary runoff.

Trump reiterated his endorsement of Letlow in a social media post aimed at turning out voters for her Saturday, saying she is “a winner who will NEVER let you down.”

He wrote in the lengthy post that Cassidy, “is a disloyal disaster. His entire past campaign for the Senate was about ‘TRUMP.’”

Cassidy is one of the few Republicans left in Congress who voted to convict Trump during a Senate impeachment trial over his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. He represents a solidly red state that backed Trump by 22 percentage points in 2024.

More recently,Cassidy – a physician – has had tension with Trump as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. While Cassidy voted to confirm Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he has split with the administration on other parts of its “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

Last month, after Trump had to pull his nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, the president blamed Cassidy.

On the campaign trail, Cassidy has sought to portray the race as about “the present and the future” and has boasted about having a good working relationship with Trump despite the impeachment vote.

“I’m not claiming the president loves me — no — but you can work with people even if you don’t love each other if you’ve got a common goal,” Cassidy said Friday on CNN’s “Situation Room.” “And my goal is to make my country and my state — and everybody who lives here — better off.”

Cassidy has long had a large financial advantage in the primary and used it to almost exclusively attack Letlow, saying the race is hers to lose. He has focused on her background in higher education and past efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that are now toxic in the GOP.

Yet in the final days of the primary, his two challengers have been battling one another.

Rep. Julia Letlow greets supporters at a campaign stop in Hammond, Louisiana, on May 6.

Gerald Herbert/AP

Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming greets supporters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 12.

Gerald Herbert/AP

Fleming, a former congressman who has been involved in Louisiana politics for decades, has sought to portray himself as more aligned with Trump than Letlow, especially after working in the White House during Trump’s first term.

Letlow’s campaign has labeled Fleming a “Never Trumper” and, along with an outside group, targeted him on a range of other issues, including his work as a lobbyist before he became state treasurer.

Cassidy has been endorsed by Senate GOP leaders, as is custom for incumbents, though national Republicans have otherwise kept their distance from the primary. Not only is Trump backing Letlow, but so is the state’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry.

The election is occurring under new and unusual circumstances. Landry recently postponed House primaries – but kept the Senate primary scheduled for Saturday – in response to a Supreme Court ruling on redistricting. The election also is the first under a new closed primary system where unaffiliated voters – a key bloc for Cassidy – have to fill out extra paperwork if they want to participate in the GOP primary.

Cassidy’s campaign manager, Katie Larkin, issued a statement Friday suggesting Landry was behind an “intentionally difficult process” for voters, saying, “The Governor closed the primary and continuously meddled in this election to support Julia Letlow.”

Landry’s office did not respond to a request for comment, but in a Fox Business interview Friday, he predicted Letlow would finish first in the primary and took a shot at Cassidy and Fleming.

“She’s had two men that have just not been very southerly about the way they’ve treated her,” Landry said.

While Trump’s political capital is on the line Saturday, the primary is also a test for allies of Kennedy, the health secretary. A group associated with Kennedy’s agenda, MAHA PAC, has spent six figures opposing Cassidy and supporting Letlow, though other super PACs have spent much more in the primary.

英国前卫生部长斯特里廷星期六在伦敦举行的一场大会上发表主旨演讲。 （路透社）

本周辞去英国卫生部长职务的斯特里廷宣布将竞选工党领袖，以接替斯塔默的首相职务。

斯特里廷（Wes Streeting）星期六（5月16日）在伦敦一家智库的活动上宣布这个决定。他说：“我们需要一场真正的竞争，让最优秀的候选人参与其中，而我将参选。”

两天前，大曼彻斯特市长安迪·伯纳姆（Andy Burnham）宣布竞选国会议员。

如果伯纳姆成功当选，他也可以参加工党领袖竞选。这场竞选现在看来几乎不可避免。

斯塔默领导的工党在近期地方选举惨败后，要求他辞职的呼声日益高涨。已有数十名工党议员呼吁他下台，但他誓言继续执政。

英国前卫生部长斯特里廷星期六在伦敦举行的一场大会上发表主旨演讲。 （路透社）

本周辞去英国卫生部长职务的斯特里廷宣布将竞选工党领袖，以接替斯塔默的首相职务。

斯特里廷（Wes Streeting）星期六（5月16日）在伦敦一家智库的活动上宣布这个决定。他说：“我们需要一场真正的竞争，让最优秀的候选人参与其中，而我将参选。”

两天前，大曼彻斯特市长安迪·伯纳姆（Andy Burnham）宣布竞选国会议员。

如果伯纳姆成功当选，他也可以参加工党领袖竞选。这场竞选现在看来几乎不可避免。

斯塔默领导的工党在近期地方选举惨败后，要求他辞职的呼声日益高涨。已有数十名工党议员呼吁他下台，但他誓言继续执政。