Trump thanks Russia's Putin for slashing U.S. diplomatic staff

[webfact]

Trump thanks Russia's Putin for slashing U.S. diplomatic staff

 

FILE PHOTO: Special Counsel Robert Mueller (R) departs after briefing members of the U.S. Senate on his investigation into potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for slashing the number of U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia, "because now we have a smaller payroll."

 

"I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll and as far as I'm concerned I'm very thankful that he let go of a large number of people," Trump told reporters at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. "There's no real reason for them to go back."

 

Putin, reacting to new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Congress, on July 30 ordered Washington to cut 755 of its 1,200 embassy and consulate staff by September. Many of those affected are likely to be local Russian staffers.

 

It was unclear if Trump was joking in his comments, his first substantive reaction to Putin's move.

 

Nicholas Burns, formerly the State Department's third-ranking official, called Trump's comments "grotesque."

 

"If he was joking, he should know better," said Burns, now a professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. "If he wasn't, it's unprecedented. A president has never defended the expulsion of our diplomats."

 

Trump's remarks are at odds with the State Department's reaction to Putin's order. A State Department official on July 30 called the Russian move "a regrettable and uncalled-for act."

 

Trump also said he has not given any thought to the possibility of firing special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia.

 

He said he was surprised by the FBI raid last month on his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, adding that it sent a "strong signal."

 

(Reporting by Warren Strobel and Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-11

[UnkleMoooose]

He said during the election that he wanted to reduce the population of government employees sucking on the taxpayer teat. He's standing by his election pledges. Again. Why is there surprise, or even comment on this? Another headline could read "President does what he says he would do - thanks Russia".

[Stargeezr]

These high paid people are now getting paid and are in the USA, Hope the embassys are just occupied by security and cleaning staff, which are a lot cheaper to pay. Good work Donald,  What country do you want the staff out of next.

Geezer

[ilostmypassword]

13 minutes ago, UnkleMoooose said:

He said during the election that he wanted to reduce the population of government employees sucking on the taxpayer teat. He's standing by his election pledges. Again. Why is there surprise, or even comment on this? Another headline could read "President does what he says he would do - thanks Russia".

Except of course, he didn't reduce the number of staff. It was Putin who did it. So I guess you're okay with Putin deciding which government workers get to lose their jobs?

[Cory1848]

14 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

Except of course, he didn't reduce the number of staff. It was Putin who did it. So I guess you're okay with Putin deciding which government workers get to lose their jobs?

Except, of course, no one loses a job. If embassy staffers are sent home from a post for any reason, they hang out at the State Department in Washington until they get reassigned somewhere else. It's nearly impossible to fire a US government bureaucrat. Trump's comment about welcome "payroll cuts" is just another glaring example of his utter cluelessness about how government works.

[Rancid]

Nobody seems to worry about what our public systems cost. Every new restrictive regulation, ""service" or tax grab employs an extra army of bureaucrats, once upon a time their wages were below the private system due to job security, but often now they are paid more. It isn't sustainable that the productive minority can indefinitely carry such a soon to be majority. Do the math, even though the politicians apparently can't.

 

When I went to school the kids that flunked out on university placement largely went into the public service, guess they got the last laugh...

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, UnkleMoooose said:

He said during the election that he wanted to reduce the population of government employees sucking on the taxpayer teat. He's standing by his election pledges. Again. Why is there surprise, or even comment on this? Another headline could read "President does what he says he would do - thanks Russia".

President doesn't do anything, his buddy Putin does.

[simple1]

35 minutes ago, Cory1848 said:

Except, of course, no one loses a job. If embassy staffers are sent home from a post for any reason, they hang out at the State Department in Washington until they get reassigned somewhere else. It's nearly impossible to fire a US government bureaucrat. Trump's comment about welcome "payroll cuts" is just another glaring example of his utter cluelessness about how government works.

Unless Tillerson is forced to make them redundant. So far State Dept has been reported as having major staff shortages. leading to lack of efficiency / professionalism under the Trump Administration. Hand in hand with Bannon, Trump the destroyer - MAGA - Lol

[Cory1848]

11 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Unless Tillerson is forced to make them redundant. So far State Dept has been reported as having major staff shortages. leading to lack of efficiency / professionalism under the Trump Administration. Hand in hand with Bannon, Trump the destroyer - MAGA - Lol

I'm not sure what power Tillerson (or Trump) may have in that regard -- you may know more. Trump can fire Tillerson, but I'm not sure how easily either of them could fire (or "make redundant") a fresh-out-of-training foreign service officer on the visa line in Mexico City who has otherwise done nothing wrong. State department employees have a union. Staff reductions are usually done via hiring freezes, I think. In any event, most of those affected in Russia are local hires (mostly support staff), and firing them would present fewer problems ... 

[boomerangutang]

1 hour ago, UnkleMoooose said:

He said during the election that he wanted to reduce the population of government employees sucking on the taxpayer teat. He's standing by his election pledges. Again. Why is there surprise, or even comment on this? Another headline could read "President does what he says he would do - thanks Russia".

And he also says, emphasizing today, that he will increase spending on military and nukes "....by many many billions of dollars."   That's like a housewife saying she's going to save money on electric by washing clothes by hand instead of using the washing machine, while also saying she's going to build a wall around her 10 acre property using rosewood at $84 a board ft.  

 

Speaking of wasting taxpayer money:  half the days Trump has been in office, he's been off playing golf.  Just the transport and security details for those trips are tens of millions of $$'s.   Trump fiddles with golf clubs and tweets, while Rome the reputation of American diplomats subsides into a cess pool.

[jcsmith]

1 hour ago, UnkleMoooose said:

He said during the election that he wanted to reduce the population of government employees sucking on the taxpayer teat. He's standing by his election pledges. Again. Why is there surprise, or even comment on this? Another headline could read "President does what he says he would do - thanks Russia".

All part of his plan to create new jobs? Except job growth hasn't really accelerated at all has it?

[simple1]

17 minutes ago, Cory1848 said:

I'm not sure what power Tillerson (or Trump) may have in that regard -- you may know more. Trump can fire Tillerson, but I'm not sure how easily either of them could fire (or "make redundant") a fresh-out-of-training foreign service officer on the visa line in Mexico City who has otherwise done nothing wrong. State department employees have a union. Staff reductions are usually done via hiring freezes, I think. In any event, most of those affected in Russia are local hires (mostly support staff), and firing them would present fewer problems ... 

Media reports claim only 455 US nationals employed by State Dept can remain in Russia, no idea the number of US nationals that equates to who must depart by 01/09/17. Could be wrong, but seems to me BAU bureaucratic processes no longer apply under the Trump Administration.

[Cory1848]

10 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Media reports claim only 455 US nationals employed by State Dept can remain in Russia, no idea the number of US nationals that equates to who must depart by 01/09/17. Could be wrong, but seems to me BAU bureaucratic processes no longer apply under the Trump Administration.

Yes, it seems to be a different ball game now. I was a "foreign service spouse" for about twenty years and got to know a great many foreign service officers at all levels, and the mood at the State Department these days seems to be mass pessimism. Trump seems to enjoy playing toy soldiers more than he does any games involving diplomacy, so that's where he wants all the money to go, as someone else posted above. 

[Proboscis]

4 hours ago, UnkleMoooose said:

He said during the election that he wanted to reduce the population of government employees sucking on the taxpayer teat. He's standing by his election pledges. Again. Why is there surprise, or even comment on this? Another headline could read "President does what he says he would do - thanks Russia".

What the Donald says and what the Donald does are frequently not the same thing. Everyone knows that the military is the biggest spender in the USA and the Donald is increasing the military budget by 20%.  But the last time I checked, the military is part of the Government and soldiers are government employees. So much for reducing government or saving taxpayers money

[Srikcir]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for slashing the number of U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia, "because now we have a smaller payroll."

Maybe Putin will take a step further and fire Trump and his WH staff because now we'll have a smaller payroll. Eliminate the middle man and just have the US government report directly to Putin.

[IAMHERE]

I suspect most of the Russian staff let go were spies anyway.

[Langsuan Man]

3 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

I suspect most of the Russian staff let go were spies anyway.

No, they just moved the spies over to diplomatic assignments with the United Nations in New York

 

And since Moscow doesn't have the UN, we can't do the same 

[Trouble]

Trump's off hand remarks on the matter are probably mostly true.  With relations with Russia so bad, what do you suppose 1200 staffers really do at the Moscow Embassy? It's a bloated bureaucracy that just keeps growing.  Whether they cut Russian nationals or US nationals, Putin has done us a favor.  The cost of keeping US staffers overseas is tremendous, Salaries, housing allowances, fees for international schools for the dependents, and the list goes one and on.  It is not as if the US is helping a developing country in someway and needs agricultural and technical expertise to promote a better economy and train locals.  All one has to do is look at the size of some of the embassies in their secured fortresses around the world and you know something is wrong. 

[ballpoint]

10 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Except of course, he didn't reduce the number of staff. It was Putin who did it. So I guess you're okay with Putin deciding which government workers get to lose their jobs?

Why not?  What's a few jobs when you're okay with Putin deciding who gets to be POTUS?

[Scott]

The bloated bureaucracy will not be reduced.   The people being expelled are not contract personnel and will remain on the payroll.  Many of the jobs vacated and people removed will have specific knowledge about Russia, so removing them is a detriment to the US (and in many cases to Russian citizens).  

 

Many of the people, but not all,  working in the State Department have specific talents that suit them for one country, but not another.  

 

 

 

 

[ToS2014]

On 8/11/2017 at 11:05 AM, Stargrazer9889 said:

These high paid people are now getting paid and are in the USA, Hope the embassys are just occupied by security and cleaning staff, which are a lot cheaper to pay. Good work Donald,  What country do you want the staff out of next.

Geezer

Please re-read the article, note: "Putin, reacting to new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Congress, on July 30 ordered Washington to cut 755 of its 1,200 embassy and consulate staff by September. Many of those affected are likely to be local Russian staffers."

 

Any chance to remove any bias BEFORE reading an article and then forming an opinion?

[mtls2005]

So if it's such a good idea why didn't Trump do it at the get go? Why does he have to rely on Vlad for help in managing his budget?

 

And we're told Trump was just joking.

 

We confiscated two properties, and expelled a number of Russians, for meddling. Russia has responded.

 

I'd be surprised if the 755 are Russian staffers, that makes no sense. Every article I've read indicates that these are Americans having to leave Russia.

[Stargeezr]

I guess the embassy might have some locals working there as cleaning and maintenance, but they

must be trusted people , given that the USA is a bit paranoid.  I think it is the Americans working

at the embassy that are the ones leaving.   No, there is no chance to have me get rid of my

Russian Bias.  I did enjoy talking to several  Russians who have visited both Canada and Thailand

and they were decent people, who did not have much good things to say about their politicians

and leader.  Just to let you know I am not against the Russian people per say, just Putin and his

minions

Geezer

Edited August 12, 2017 by Stargrazer9889
correction