State moves forward with foreign service officer layoffs in blow to civil service

The State Department on Tuesday officially terminated the employment of approximately 200 foreign service members as part of a reduction in force (RIF), part of more than 1,300 layoffs at the agency over the past year. 

State framed the layoffs as part of what the Trump administration describes as an “historic” reorganization at the agency. 

But terminated foreign and civil service officers and their supporters – Democratic lawmakers in particular – allege that these firings are illegal because they targeted employees in their temporary positions.

Foreign Service Officers (FSO) are classified as commissioned officers, ranked in their experience and trained as a flexible, nonpartisan, world-wide workforce to address the needs of the department as they evolve, and when an administration changes.

Ryan Gliha, a career foreign service officer with more than two-decades of experience, was notified in July that he was being eliminated as part of a RIF, but he only received his official termination on Tuesday. The perfunctory email provided links to frequently asked questions and a note of gratitude for his service.

Gliha, a fluent Arabic speaker with Persian language skills, held a number of senior roles over his career including acting ambassador to Qatar and consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is fighting for reinstatement, describing his oath to the Constitution as overriding the feelings of sadness and betrayal from the layoff process. 

“To be hit in the face with a short-sighted political decision run by........

© The Hill