Latest news with #Afghans
9 hours ago
- Politics
State Department notifies Congress of reorganization plan with bigger cuts to programs and staff
WASHINGTON -- The State Department on Thursday notified Congress of an updated reorganization of the massive agency, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had previously been revealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a steeper 18% reduction of staff in the U.S. The planned changes, detailed in a notification letter obtained by The Associated Press, reflect the Trump administration's push to reshape American diplomacy and scale back the size of the federal government. The proposal includes an even higher reduction of domestic staff than the 15% initially floated in April. The department also is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with oversight of America's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military. The letter sent to Congress by the State Department notes that the reorganization will affect more than 300 bureaus and offices 'to refocus on core U.S. foreign policy objectives and the needs of contemporary diplomacy.' The department says it's eliminating offices it describes as doing unclear or overlapping work and that Rubio 'believes that effective modern diplomacy requires streamlining this bloated bureaucracy.' The document is clear that the reorganization also is intended to eliminate programs, particularly those related to refugees and immigration as well as human rights and democracy promotion, that the Trump administration believes have become ideologically driven in a way that is incompatible with its priorities and policies. It says, without evidence, that such offices 'have proven themselves prone to ideological capture and radicalism.' Some of the bureaus set to be cut include the Office of Global Women's Issues and the State Department's diversity and inclusion efforts, which have been eliminated government-wide under Trump. The letter says the women's issues office is being eliminated to 'ensure that promoting women's rights and empowerment is a priority across the full scope of the Department's diplomatic engagement.' Efforts to cut the department's Afghan programs received immediate backlash from veterans groups and advocates who have spent the last three and a half years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan working to resettle and integrate Afghans into life in the U.S. 'This is not streamlining,' said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac. 'This is deliberate dismantling.' CARE, which stands for the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, was created in October 2021 in the aftermath of the withdrawal. The office was designed to help Afghans, like interpreters who aided the U.S. military, who were eligible for resettlement in the U.S. due to their work helping America during the war. The State Department notification says its work will be 'realigned' to the Afghanistan Affairs Office. Over time, CARE was credited with streamlining visa and immigration processes that many people helping Afghans and Iraqis, who benefited from similar resettlement programs, said were overly bureaucratic, opaque and left at-risk Afghans waiting for far too long on programs specifically intended to help them. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision authorizing the CARE office for three years, but ever since President Donald Trump took office, concerns have loomed over the office's future. 'Eliminating it — without public explanation, transition planning, or reaffirmation of mission — is a profound betrayal of American values and promises,' VanDiver added.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
State Department notifies Congress of reorganization plan with bigger cuts to programs and staff
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Thursday notified Congress of an updated reorganization of the massive agency, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had previously been revealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a steeper 18% reduction of staff in the U.S. The planned changes, detailed in a notification letter obtained by The Associated Press, reflect the Trump administration's push to reshape American diplomacy and scale back the size of the federal government. The proposal includes an even higher reduction of domestic staff than the 15% initially floated in April. The department also is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with oversight of America's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military. The letter sent to Congress by the State Department notes that the reorganization will affect more than 300 bureaus and offices 'to refocus on core U.S. foreign policy objectives and the needs of contemporary diplomacy.' The department says it's eliminating offices it describes as doing unclear or overlapping work and that Rubio 'believes that effective modern diplomacy requires streamlining this bloated bureaucracy.' The document is clear that the reorganization also is intended to eliminate programs, particularly those related to refugees and immigration as well as human rights and democracy promotion, that the Trump administration believes have become ideologically driven in a way that is incompatible with its priorities and policies. It says, without evidence, that such offices 'have proven themselves prone to ideological capture and radicalism.' Some of the bureaus set to be cut include the Office of Global Women's Issues and the State Department's diversity and inclusion efforts, which have been eliminated government-wide under Trump. The letter says the women's issues office is being eliminated to 'ensure that promoting women's rights and empowerment is a priority across the full scope of the Department's diplomatic engagement.' Efforts to cut the department's Afghan programs received immediate backlash from veterans groups and advocates who have spent the last three and a half years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan working to resettle and integrate Afghans into life in the U.S. 'This is not streamlining,' said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac. 'This is deliberate dismantling.' CARE, which stands for the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, was created in October 2021 in the aftermath of the withdrawal. The office was designed to help Afghans, like interpreters who aided the U.S. military, who were eligible for resettlement in the U.S. due to their work helping America during the war. The State Department notification says its work will be 'realigned' to the Afghanistan Affairs Office. Over time, CARE was credited with streamlining visa and immigration processes that many people helping Afghans and Iraqis, who benefited from similar resettlement programs, said were overly bureaucratic, opaque and left at-risk Afghans waiting for far too long on programs specifically intended to help them. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision authorizing the CARE office for three years, but ever since President Donald Trump took office, concerns have loomed over the office's future. 'Eliminating it — without public explanation, transition planning, or reaffirmation of mission — is a profound betrayal of American values and promises,' VanDiver added.
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
State Department notifies Congress of reorganization plan with bigger cuts to programs and staff
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Thursday notified Congress of an updated reorganization of the massive agency, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had previously been revealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a steeper 18% reduction of staff in the U.S. The planned changes, detailed in a notification letter obtained by The Associated Press, reflect the Trump administration's push to reshape American diplomacy and scale back the size of the federal government. The proposal includes an even higher reduction of domestic staff than the 15% initially floated in April. The department also is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with oversight of America's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military. The letter sent to Congress by the State Department notes that the reorganization will affect more than 300 bureaus and offices 'to refocus on core U.S. foreign policy objectives and the needs of contemporary diplomacy.' The department says it's eliminating offices it describes as doing unclear or overlapping work and that Rubio 'believes that effective modern diplomacy requires streamlining this bloated bureaucracy.' The document is clear that the reorganization also is intended to eliminate programs, particularly those related to refugees and immigration as well as human rights and democracy promotion, that the Trump administration believes have become ideologically driven in a way that is incompatible with its priorities and policies. It says, without evidence, that such offices 'have proven themselves prone to ideological capture and radicalism.' Some of the bureaus set to be cut include the Office of Global Women's Issues and the State Department's diversity and inclusion efforts, which have been eliminated government-wide under Trump . The letter says the women's issues office is being eliminated to 'ensure that promoting women's rights and empowerment is a priority across the full scope of the Department's diplomatic engagement.' Efforts to cut the department's Afghan programs received immediate backlash from veterans groups and advocates who have spent the last three and a half years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan working to resettle and integrate Afghans into life in the U.S. 'This is not streamlining,' said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac. 'This is deliberate dismantling.' CARE, which stands for the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, was created in October 2021 in the aftermath of the withdrawal. The office was designed to help Afghans, like interpreters who aided the U.S. military, who were eligible for resettlement in the U.S. due to their work helping America during the war. The State Department notification says its work will be 'realigned' to the Afghanistan Affairs Office. Over time, CARE was credited with streamlining visa and immigration processes that many people helping Afghans and Iraqis, who benefited from similar resettlement programs, said were overly bureaucratic, opaque and left at-risk Afghans waiting for far too long on programs specifically intended to help them. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision authorizing the CARE office for three years, but ever since President Donald Trump took office, concerns have loomed over the office's future. 'Eliminating it — without public explanation, transition planning, or reaffirmation of mission — is a profound betrayal of American values and promises,' VanDiver added.
India.com
10 hours ago
- Business
- India.com
BIG setback for Pakistan, China as New Delhi works to build closer India-Afghanistan ties; new visa module allows Afghan citizens to...
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in a meeting with Afghanistan Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai in January 2025. (File/ANI) India-Afghanistan relations: In another major diplomatic jolt for Pakistan and its ally China post Operation Sindoor, New Delhi is working diligently to build closer India-Afghanistan relations as a means to counter Islamabad and Beijing. Addressing the weekly press briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has implemented a new visa module, which allows Afghan nationals to apply for an Indian visa in six categories. India implements new visa module for Afghans The MEA spokesperson revealed that the old visa module for Afghan nationals has been discontinued, while the new module, aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties between India and Afghanistan, came into effect of April 29 last month. Under the new visa module, Afghan citizens can apply for Indian visas under six categories–medical, medical attendant, business, entry, student, and UN diplomatic, Jaiswal said, while urging Afghan nationals who are in India under the old module, to get their visas updated as per the new policy. 'I would like to introduce you to the new visa module in place for Afghan nationals. This was, I think, put in place last month. The old visa module that we had, a program called E-Emergency Ex-Miscelleanous Visa, has been discontinued, and we have a new visa model for Afghan nationals, which came into effect on 29th April,' he said. New Delhi working to build closer India-Afghanistan relations Notably, India had suspended visas for Afghan citizens after Taliban regime seized power in June 2021 after the United States withdrew from the war-torn country. However, New Delhi recently visa services for Afghan nationals after a four-year hiatus, in an effort to build closer ties with Kabul, primarily as a means to counter the growing influence of Pakistan and China in the region. Additionally, India has resumed re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul and is actively engaging with ruling Afghan Taliban regime, which was one of the few nations that openly supported New Delhi in the recent India-Pakistan conflict and condemned the heinous Pahalgam terror attack in the strongest terms. EAM Jaishankar talks to Afghan FM Muttaqi Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between India and Afghanistan. Jaishankar also expressed his appreciation for Muttaqi's strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and welcomed the Taliban minister's 'firm rejection' of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through 'false and baseless reports.' 'Good conversation with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this evening. Deeply appreciate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports. Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and our continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward,' Jaishankar wrote on X following the conversation with Muttaqi. (With inputs from agencies)
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
State Department notifies Congress of reorganization plan with bigger cuts to programs and staff
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Thursday notified Congress of an updated reorganization of the massive agency, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had previously been revealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a steeper 18% reduction of staff in the U.S. The planned changes, detailed in a notification letter obtained by The Associated Press, reflect the Trump administration's push to reshape American diplomacy and scale back the size of the federal government. The proposal includes an even higher reduction of domestic staff than the 15% initially floated in April. The department also is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with oversight of America's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military. The letter sent to Congress by the State Department notes that the reorganization will affect more than 300 bureaus and offices 'to refocus on core U.S. foreign policy objectives and the needs of contemporary diplomacy.' The department says it's eliminating offices it describes as doing unclear or overlapping work and that Rubio 'believes that effective modern diplomacy requires streamlining this bloated bureaucracy.' The document is clear that the reorganization also is intended to eliminate programs, particularly those related to refugees and immigration as well as human rights and democracy promotion, that the Trump administration believes have become ideologically driven in a way that is incompatible with its priorities and policies. It says, without evidence, that such offices 'have proven themselves prone to ideological capture and radicalism.' Some of the bureaus set to be cut include the Office of Global Women's Issues and the State Department's diversity and inclusion efforts, which have been eliminated government-wide under Trump. The letter says the women's issues office is being eliminated to 'ensure that promoting women's rights and empowerment is a priority across the full scope of the Department's diplomatic engagement.' Efforts to cut the department's Afghan programs received immediate backlash from veterans groups and advocates who have spent the last three and a half years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan working to resettle and integrate Afghans into life in the U.S. 'This is not streamlining,' said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac. 'This is deliberate dismantling.' CARE, which stands for the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, was created in October 2021 in the aftermath of the withdrawal. The office was designed to help Afghans, like interpreters who aided the U.S. military, who were eligible for resettlement in the U.S. due to their work helping America during the war. The State Department notification says its work will be 'realigned' to the Afghanistan Affairs Office. Over time, CARE was credited with streamlining visa and immigration processes that many people helping Afghans and Iraqis, who benefited from similar resettlement programs, said were overly bureaucratic, opaque and left at-risk Afghans waiting for far too long on programs specifically intended to help them. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision authorizing the CARE office for three years, but ever since President Donald Trump took office, concerns have loomed over the office's future. 'Eliminating it — without public explanation, transition planning, or reaffirmation of mission — is a profound betrayal of American values and promises,' VanDiver added.
