Former State Department advisor warns Tillerson's cuts could increase child sex trafficking and terrorism

In a New York Times op-ed, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claimed he was proud of the diplomacy he's ushered in under President Donald Trump's administration. Yet, Tillerson's cuts to the department have many warning caution.

One such person is former State Department policy aide Jake Sullivan, who told CNN's Brianna Keilar that such cuts will leave an impact long past Trump's time in office.

First, Sullivan put the 33 percent cut in context of what the government currently funds. Trump has proposed increasing the Pentagon budget by $58 billion, which could fund the entire State Department and United States Agency for International Development budget combined.

"It is going to be felt in American security and prosperity over the coming years and I think it will take a long time to fix because we aren't doing the difficult spade work that people don't see every day," Sullivan said.

"For example, dealing with sex trafficking and children and sex slaves," he added. "For example, working on women's political participation and enhancing the status and stature of women around the world in ways that make societies more peaceful and stable so they are less likely to produce threats against the United States in the long term. For example, putting money that we need into securing nuclear weapons around the world and all of the hard diplomatic work that is required to do that so the terrorists never get their hands on that material. For example, dealing with the challenges of climate change that have already coming home to roost."

According to Sullivan this nation building, diplomacy and international friendship is the everyday work the State Department has performed over decades. The result is building allies in areas of the world that are terrorist breeding grounds. Without the U.S. involved in building relationships, there is a vacuum created.

Watch the full discussion below: