Diplomats Question Tactics of Tillerson, the Executive Turned Secretary of State<br />George said that The secretary of state has to focus on the president, his policies and the other heads of government<br />that he deals with, which means he cannot possibly run the department operationally himself,<br />Ronald said that There’s a broad acceptance of the need for reorganization<br />and a growing frustration at the need for decisions to deal with ongoing issues,<br />But in the meantime, State Department officials must tend to the daily functions of the department<br />— writing reports to Congress, issuing visas and interacting with 190 countries.<br />However, the ship of state can, and must, keep moving during this process." At a rare meeting with reporters in July, Mr. Tillerson acknowledged<br />that the State Department suffered from poor morale but was generally dismissive of the criticism at its root.<br />"And they are causing larger problems that can be fixed if things are vetted properly<br />and installed." Mr. Tillerson, 65, has made clear his assessment of not only the State Department but the federal government in general.<br />To these officials, it is a classic case of micromanagement — and emblematic of the way Mr. Tillerson has approached running the State Department.<br />Mr. Tillerson has said the reorganization will be driven by suggestions from staff members,<br />but before the survey process even began he proposed a 31 percent cut to the department’s budget and an 8 percent staff cut — suggesting to many that his mind was already made up.
