At the same time he is proposing massive layoffs at the State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is pushing staffers to work longer hours and push out more propaganda to polish the image of Donald Trump.
According to a report from the Washington Post, the former senator from Florida is facing an internal revolt as "morale craters" six months after the Trump administration took charge.
As the Post's Adam Taylor, John Hudson and Hannah Natanson reported, State Department employees have been put on notice that there is going to be a purge –– once the courts give the go-ahead –– and the the workforce is "exasperated and embittered" at the demands being made of them knowing many of them are going to be laid off.
With a 15 percent reduction of employees in the works, one staffer told the Post, "Doing extra shifts while this ax is swinging above our heads is just devastating to morale."
The report notes that employees were tasked this week with an "action request” that they "gather and share images of July Fourth celebrations at embassies and consulates worldwide. The cable asked staff to 'collect a high-quality set of visuals' including 'candid shots of attendees enjoying the event' and 'smiling children, families, and diplomats.'"
That led another staffer to remark, “To me the irony of asking for happy photos of smiling children, happy families, and guests celebrating while threatening to fire thousands is peak Trumpism.”
Noting that the department recently revised rules "governing layoffs, making it easier to fire large swaths of employees," one balking employee warned the Trump administration is "looking to cut a percent of overall employees instead of keeping high performers, people with critical language skills, experience abroad, etcetera."
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