I have family serving with the State Department, currently posted at an embassy in Europe. As were most State Department employees, my sister and brother-in-law were greatly distressed by the attack on the US mission at Benghazi, and hoped that at least the Republican obsession with repeatedly investigating that incident might result in better security for all US diplomatic sites. Alas, new legislation introduced by Senators Heller (NV), Cruz and Rubio shows just how unconcerned Republicans really are with embassy security. From an article at Diplopundit.net:
The current bill, S.11, which had been read twice and referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee…. targets a specific State Department funding — not funds for the “Acquisition and Maintenance of Buildings Abroad” but for “Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance.” The bill further includes restrictions for all security, construction, and maintenance funding worldwide for FY2018 and FY2019 except for the embassy in Tel Aviv until its relocation.
Restriction on Funding Subject to Opening Determination.–Not more than 50 percent of the funds appropriated to the Department of State for fiscal year 2017 under the heading “Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance” may be obligated until the Secretary of State determines and reports to Congress that the United States Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.
Just so we’re clear, three American senators including those who were screaming #BENGHAZI for the last several years have put forward a bill that would freeze half the State Department funding on embassy security until the new secretary of state reports to Congress that the US Embassy in Jerusalem has “officially opened.”
Regardless of whether opening the US Embassy in Jerusalem is a smart move in international relations (a discussion worthy of a diary itself by someone wiser than I am), proposing to put our State Department employees around the world at increased risk for any reason is shameful and infuriating. Please take time to communicate with the leadership and members of the Foreign Relations Committee and ask them to kill this disgusting bill.