NY Times editorial: Tillerson’s handling of State Dept. ‘dangerous’

The New York Times in an editorial on Wednesday slammed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, characterizing his leadership at Foggy Bottom as “dangerous.” 

“Barring a course change, the State Department is expected to limp along without most of its senior staff until well into 2018,” its editorial said. “That could be more than a year from now.

“Even citizens who are deeply jaded about the government must realize that with the world in turmoil, it’s dangerous for one of the departments most responsible for managing the chaos to be treading water.”

{mosads}The Times’s editorial board added Tillerson is taking too long to fill crucial posts at his department.

“Three months into his tenure, Mr. Tillerson has done almost nothing to select nominees for the White House to consider for nearly 200 State Department jobs that require Senate confirmation, The Times’s Gardiner Harris reported,” it said.

“No other federal department is as dependent on political appointees, meaning State is uniquely affected by such foot-dragging,” the editorial board added.

“And even if Mr. Tillerson named all his choices tomorrow, the confirmation process usually takes months and months.”

Tillerson on Wednesday will reportedly embark on a listening tour as he decides how to restructure the State Department.

Reports emerged last week that Tillerson is poised to cut 2,300 diplomatic and civil servant positions from his agency.

Those cuts, which would represent about 9 percent of State’s workforce, come as Tillerson works to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to reduce federal spending.