Management Family FY26 Budget Posture Hearing
House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa and International Terrorism
2025-07-16
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Source: Congress.gov
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The subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa will come to order. The purpose of this hearing is to assess the budgetary posture and strategic direction of the State Department's management family for fiscal year 2026. I now recognize myself for an opening statement. Today, we convene to conduct oversight of the Department of State's management family and review its budgetary posture and strategic priorities for fiscal year 2026. I want to thank our witness, Mr. Jose Cunningham, for appearing before us. Mr. Cunningham is both serving as the acting Under Secretary for Management as well as the Assistant Secretary for Administration. The Bureau of Management is the backbone of the State Department. It touches every element of America's diplomatic presence, from safeguarding our personnel and Americans abroad to adjudicating passports and visas to managing our IT, our embassies, and our financial systems. These responsibilities are vital to our national security. and we appreciate the hard work of the men and women who make up the M family. But as we look ahead, we must ask whether the department's management architecture is fit for purpose in a world of rapid geopolitical change, digital threats, and rising demands for accountability. In our current structure delivering results, or is it weighed down by redundancy, fragmentation, and outdated systems? We'll be examining several core issues today. The department's ability to modernize its technology, financial management, and administrative systems. How the department is coordinating across bureaus to reduce duplication and deliver cost-effective services. Whether key security functions like counterintelligence and cybersecurity are integrated and mission ready. and how the Department is using flexible funding tools like the Working Capital Fund to support shared services and meet evolving global threats.
We'll also consider whether structural reforms are needed to consolidate core management functions, streamline executive offices, and align financial oversight with policy priorities so that every taxpayer dollar advances our mission abroad. Finally, I want to emphasize the importance of a strong and collaborative partnership between Congress and the State Department. When we work hand-in-hand, grounded in open, timely, and transparent communication, we are best positioned to advance our shared national security and foreign policy goals. Congress stands ready to support the Department's mission, and we look forward to continuing that work together. Mr. Cunningham, we look forward to your testimony and to a robust discussion. of how we can work together to ensure the State Department is as agile, secure, and results-driven as the world demands. With that, I now recognize the ranking member, my colleague from Florida, Representative Shurfilis McCormick, for her opening statement.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you so much for being here. Thank you to Mr. Under Secretary Collins for coming here today and shedding some light. Congress has been left in the dark as to the vision and processes at the Department, leading to many questions. For example, last Friday, 1,300 dedicated professionals at the State Department were handed reduction in force announcements. Several questions come to mind, including what notices were given, what was the process or the matrices to determine who was being let go, and what is the strategy behind these rifts? These are the answers Congress is looking for and have not heard from the department. The truth is Congress has not seen any roadmap or coherent strategy. We know more from the media about what's going on in the department. Without the department filling in the gaps, we only hear about the mishaps. For example, even the basic administration of the RIFs was flawed. Employees were mistakenly issued RIFs notices by the department's own admission. Many still don't know where they stand, especially those on detail, other agencies, or here on the Capitol. Others remain overseas waiting for answers. Moreover, reports were in our hearing saying that these notices were being given just hours, only hours to pack up their belongings, saying their goodbyes, and to leave. No explanation, no performance reviews, no recognitions for their service. In some cases, not even the dignity of a proper farewell. Worse still, some of these individuals were working abroad on assignment, away from their families, serving on our country, and now they're stranded. Some have been cut off from their official emails, their government passports have been confiscated, and they have no clear way to get home. These other Americans are public servants. They have been abandoned by their own country. This isn't just about policy. It's about the people who are implementing the policy.
And yet today, we will hear from this administration about how this was all part of a strategic reorganization. We hear buzzwords like rightsizing, efficiency, and accountability. For these words to be true, we can't wait to hear about the systems and the harm mitigation protocol that were being used before these rift decisions were made. The Trump administration's own staff has bolstered that the reorganization process was led by 10 people.
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