July 16, 2025

Deputy Secretary of State Blames the Devoted Public Servants He Wrongfully Fired for Their Own Terminations in Wake of State Department RIFs

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Continuing Donald Trump and his Administration’s long record of blaming victims, Deputy Secretary of State Michael Rigas today shamefully tried to argue that hundreds of dedicated State Department employees who were wrongfully fired by the Trump Administration last week were to blame for the Administration’s—and his—own poor decisions. In today’s U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) hearing, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) noted for Mr. Rigas that individuals who were hired under Veterans preference were among the more than 1,350 employees who were fired at the State Department, thereby illustrating how sloppy and short-sighted these RIFs were carried out. Duckworth’s remarks can be found on the Senator’s YouTube.

“How the State Department conducted Friday’s RIFs was already appalling—but putting the blame on hundreds of devoted public servants whose lives have been abruptly upended is a new level of adding insult to injury,” said Duckworth. “Trump has a long record of acting impulsively and irrationally and then blaming the victim—and Mr. Rigas’ testimony today proves the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. At a time when Trump’s team manages to undermine our national security and embolden our adversaries with every passing day, these layoffs never should have happened in the first place.”

In response to Duckworth’s questioning, Mr. Rigas admitted that the Trump Administration is not tracking how many Veterans they are firing in their indiscriminate purges across the federal government. Beyond admitting to firing scores of Veterans in the State Department, Mr. Rigas even disgracefully pinned the blame on the fired Veterans themselves—bizarrely claiming that it was impossible for the Trump Administration to recognize their military service when firing them without cause. Something that should be the bare minimum.

After the State Department announced their plans to indiscriminately fire hundreds of civil service and Foreign Service officers, Duckworth issued a statement stating this decision is “a gift to our adversaries and a betrayal of our values.” During today’s hearing, Duckworth underscored this point by noting that the State Department’s cuts included a team that managed U.S. engagement with ASEAN—a move that emboldens the PRC who is already emphasizing the narrative that the U.S. is an unreliable partner.

Along with her fellow SFRC colleagues, Duckworth wrote to State Secretary Marco Rubio demanded answers on the Trump Administration’s process for carrying out these layoffs.

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