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The State Department is running on fumes.
VOX ^ | By Alex Ward on January 12, 2019 1:49 pm

Posted on 01/12/2019 7:22:03 PM PST by 11th_VA

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.) ...

(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; Israel; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alexward; buildthefence; daca; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; dreamact; dreamers; israel; jerusalem; letshavejerusalem; mediawingofthednc; partisanmediashills; presstitutes; smearmachine; statedepartment; vox; voxsux; waronterror
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To: 11th_VA
The State Department is running on fumes.

Hopefully carbon monoxide.

21 posted on 01/12/2019 7:37:48 PM PST by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason.)
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To: Salvavida

Thanks for that report on what life is REALLY like at the embassy’ !!!


22 posted on 01/12/2019 7:39:33 PM PST by 11th_VA (Hey RATs - Negotiate or Starve)
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To: Deaf Smith
Struggling to put food on the table after just ONE day of missing a pay period?

Uh, yeah bro! Those 200-year old French wines, hormone-free, grass-fed Kobe beef steaks and cavaiar shipped daily from Alaska don't come cheap!

23 posted on 01/12/2019 7:41:16 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Trust the 17th letter of the English alphabet!!)
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To: 11th_VA

Fumes = swamp gas


24 posted on 01/12/2019 7:42:02 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: central_va

Fire 1/3 today. Then next week get down to the serious cutting.


25 posted on 01/12/2019 7:42:58 PM PST by samadams2000 (Get your houses in order.)
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To: 11th_VA

Foggy Bottom is the darkest murkiest part of the DC swamp.


26 posted on 01/12/2019 7:43:11 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: Deaf Smith

Gov employees are paid about twice what someone in the private sector gets

You’d think they have some saving they can use.

They will get a GIANT check when Pelosi and Schumer stop holding their paychecks hostage


27 posted on 01/12/2019 7:44:24 PM PST by Syncro (Facts is Facts)
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To: unixfox

would anyone notice if it shut down?


28 posted on 01/12/2019 7:45:01 PM PST by freedumb2003 (As always IMHO)
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To: 11th_VA

A few days ago my wife received her new passport from the State Dept. within a week of applying. She did pay the “expedite” charge.


29 posted on 01/12/2019 7:45:18 PM PST by whinecountry (Semper Ubi Sub Ubi)
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To: Syncro

They also get amazing retirements.

Btw. Saw a stat last year. 50% of black college grads get government jobs of some type. Dems will be the ones feeling the screaming callers. Our voters want the shutdown to continue forever.


30 posted on 01/12/2019 7:53:54 PM PST by TigerClaws
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To: 11th_VA
They're defined as nonessential personnel in nonessential jobs.

Why all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the government not paying nonessential people when the same people having crying fits now cheer when businesses do the same thing?

Trump should cite the example of Romney and Bain Capital then fire them all to get a little creative destruction going.

31 posted on 01/12/2019 7:57:31 PM PST by Rashputin (Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory !!)
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To: 11th_VA

All those Fed Fags at DoS in a panic.

I’m all choked up.


32 posted on 01/12/2019 8:01:10 PM PST by TADSLOS (Confuse your doctor by putting on rubber gloves at the same time he does.)
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To: 11th_VA
struggling to put food on the table

Seriously? They missed a paycheck yesterday. I've heard of people living paycheck-to-paycheck, but that's ridiculous.

33 posted on 01/12/2019 8:01:26 PM PST by Sooth2222 ("Every nation gets the government it deserves." -Joseph de Maistre)
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To: 11th_VA

Got a match?


34 posted on 01/12/2019 8:01:29 PM PST by TChad
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To: 11th_VA
Fly in extra MREs. The Marines will share.


35 posted on 01/12/2019 8:06:34 PM PST by Delta 21
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To: 11th_VA

It costs money to talk???


36 posted on 01/12/2019 8:08:08 PM PST by Revolutionary ("Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition!")
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To: 11th_VA

These government shut downs should ALWAYS start where they begin - Congress’ pay!

If they can’t do their job to keep things funded, THEIR $$$ should be the first to stop.


37 posted on 01/12/2019 8:08:42 PM PST by joethedrummer
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To: 11th_VA; Paladin2

We better get this gubmnt back ta running or all the tape measures and gas pumps will be out of calibration!


38 posted on 01/12/2019 8:10:30 PM PST by Delta 21
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To: 11th_VA

Straight link to article without all the Google tracking/spying stuff:

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2019/1/10/18175694/government-shutdown-trump-state-department-pompeo


39 posted on 01/12/2019 8:14:50 PM PST by upchuck (The caravan(s) is all about gaming the American system to harvest the free stuff. ~ Monica Showalter)
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To: 11th_VA

The vast majority of State Department employees are RATS. Maybe a bunch of them will quit and we’ll all be better off.


40 posted on 01/12/2019 8:18:21 PM PST by upchuck (The caravan(s) is all about gaming the American system to harvest the free stuff. ~ Monica Showalter)
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