US State Department draws criticism for shutting office that brings home deceased diplomats
WASHINGTON - Among the scores of offices the U.S. State Department eliminated last week in its dramatic revamp, the shuttering of one little-known office has raised particular alarm among U.S. diplomats.
The small team at the Department's Office of Casualty Assistance, which supports U.S. diplomats and their families abroad in the event of death or serious injury, received termination notices last Friday along with more than 1,350 Department employees. The firings came as a surprise, sources familiar with their situation said.
When the notices arrived by email on Friday, the team was working on repatriating the remains of a senior U.S. official who died in a car crash in Mexico last week.
The U.S. Consulate in Monterrey said in a Facebook statement that Brian Matthew Faughnan, a member of its mission, died in a car accident in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila on July 9.
Kirk Leash, the team leader at OCA, informed other U.S. officials at the U.S. mission in Mexico and his counterparts in different government agencies who were working on Faughnan's case that Leash was just removed from his job, and that he was no longer able to help, according to two sources familiar with the exchange.
The elimination of the office was part of a major overhaul of the State Department by President Donald Trump, who aims to reshape the U.S. diplomatic corps to ensure it faithfully implements his "America First" policies.
It is also part of an unprecedented push by the Republican president to shrink the federal government, which he says was misspending American taxpayers' money.
The State Department said the agency continues to be "fully equipped" with casualty evacuations if there are employee deaths overseas. "There has been no interruption in our capabilities to carry out this mission," said a senior State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
TAKING CARE OF DIPLOMATS
The State Department revamp drew intense criticism from Democratic senators, former diplomats and secretaries of state for what they said was the arbitrary way it was carried out. Critics said it involved the firing of experienced, specialized employees in far-flung parts of the world, and that such skilled staffers are difficult to replace quickly.
A State Department memo to employees last week, seen by Reuters, said the moves were made in a "carefully tailored" way.
But the shuttering of the bureau made some question that statement.
"I don't think any sitting president or any secretary of state would not want their people, their personnel - the most valuable asset of their agency - to be taken care of," said Edith Bartley, who is a spokesperson for the families of the Americans killed in the 1998 al-Qaeda attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
"You want to know that your country does all that it can to take care of you, your remains and your family in the aftermath. That's critical. That is America First," Bartley said.
Bartley lost her father, who was a career diplomat, and brother in the 1998 attacks, which killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. OCA was established a year later, thanks in large part to her advocacy.
The office is typically supported by volunteers from the Department's Human Resources bureau who can be mobilized on short notice following a mass casualty event. The teams were called upon after the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the death of four Americans including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.
"OCA is in touch with the deceased employee's family within hours after the death, and provides support services as long as they are needed - for weeks, months, and in some cases, years," an undated article in the Department's magazine said, referring to the work of the office.
A senior State Department official said on Wednesday that the agency transferred the functions of the OCA to the Office of Employee Relations. But that office has a much wider remit, supporting the agency's workforce, and lacks the specific knowledge and expertise in navigating the complicated procedures of repatriating a deceased diplomat, sources familiar with the matter said.
"That function is being folded into another office," Michael Rigas, deputy secretary of state for Management and Resources, said on Wednesday, in response to a question about the closure of the office by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen at a hearing.
Shaheen also asked Rigas to get back to her on how the department was handling the repatriation of the body of Faughnan, the U.S. official who died in Mexico. "I don't think the family thinks that that's a good firing," Shaheen said.
Reuters was unable to reach Faughnan's family. REUTERS
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


International Business Times
2 hours ago
- International Business Times
Former Illinois GOP Senate Candidate Tried to Get Husband Murdered After Learning About Long-Distance Lover's Inheritance
New details have emerged over the arrest of a former Illinois GOP Senate candidate who tried to get her husband killed. Allison Salinas, 48, is charged with one count of Solicitation of Murder. Prosecutors filed a petition to detain Salinas on Thursday, following her arrest on Tuesday. Salinas ran as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois in 2021. According to court documents released by the Tazewell County State's Attorney's Office on Thursday, Salinas came under investigation this month after a Facebook video emerged, allegedly implicating her in the murder for hire plot. Salinas' Long-Distance Boyfriend Told Cops She Tried to Manipulate Him After Learning About His Inheritance, Told Him to Kill Her Husband Pekin Police were contacted in February of 2024 by James Turrentine of Dallas, TX, in reference to his relationship with Salinas. He told police that the pair had briefly dated in high-school, and struck up a long-distance relationship in 2021 after Salinas reached out to him. Turrentine told police that he felt Salinas attempted to manipulate him after she reportedly learned about an inheritance. He says Salinas also began discussing her desire to leave her husband, Patrick Salinas, without having to split assets. Allison had allegedly begun discussions of murdering Patrick in November or December of 2023, with Turrentine trying to deflect the conversations because she reportedly wanted Turrentine to kill Patrick for them to be together. When Turrentine Refused, She Tried to Solicit Another Person to Murder Her Husband Turrentine stated he made it known to Allison that he would not harm Patrick, at which point Allison allegedly sought another person to murder her husband. The conversations reportedly continued for several months, with Turrentine saying he became frustrated with the topic, and indicated that he could find someone to commit the murder in the hopes that Allison would drop it. Turrentine then told police that Allison would repeatedly ask if he found someone, then explained that he lied to her and told Allison the Secret Service contacted him about the murder for hire plot. He says the detailed conversations stopped, but Allison was asking if he had heard anything further, as recently as two weeks ago. Turrentine also indicated that he made the Facebook video post to draw attention to the issue. 'I Need You to Make this Happen' Turrentine provided to Pekin Police two recorded phone conversations with Allison between February and March of 2024. Allison allegedly discussed different ways to kill Patrick, with Turrentine suggesting to her that some old friends of his dad could do it. Allison allegedly stated to him that "I need you to make this happen." Screenshots of text messages between the pair were also given to Pekin Police. On May 27th, 2024, Allison allegedly started a conversation with a picture of her husband with a text message stating "There's ur pic u need." Turrentine replied with a thumbs up emoji, with Allison following up by texting "Can't talk, don't text back but please with everything I mean to you... Just take care of this." Court documents also reveal that Allison had allegedly sent Turrentine a screenshot on July 21st, 2024 of a Google search relating to spousal immunity in criminal cases. Allison Also Considered Sneaking Shellfish into Patricks Food Because He was Allergic to It Pekin Police had also interviewed Ashley Allen, a close friend of Allison's who lived with her in the fall of 2023. Allen told police that she was in the passenger's seat of a vehicle during a phone call between Allison and Turrentine, and hearing Allison allegedly discussing finding a "ghost" to murder Patrick, which she described as another term for a hitman. Allen also testified that Allison discussed sneaking shellfish into Patrick's food, which he is allergic to. Allison was interviewed by Pekin Police on Tuesday, and reportedly acknowledged that she had discussed Patrick's murder with Turrentine for an extended period. However, Allison maintained that she was not in a good mental state. She was asked by police about the conservations and admitted that there was no indication to Turrentine that she was not serious about the topics.

Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
USAID analysis found no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid
FILE PHOTO: Parcels of humanitarian aid await transfer into Gaza, at the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing in the Gaza Strip, July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen EDITOR'S NOTE: REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHS WERE REVIEWED BY THE IDF AS PART OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE EMBED. NO PHOTOS WERE REMOVED./File Photo WASHINGTON - An internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the U.S. give for backing a new armed private aid operation. The analysis, which has not been previously reported, was conducted by a bureau within the U.S. Agency for International Development and completed in late June. It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of U.S.-funded supplies reported by U.S. aid partner organizations between October 2023 and this May. It found 'no reports alleging Hamas' benefited from U.S.-funded supplies, according to a slide presentation of the findings seen by Reuters. A State Department spokesperson disputed the findings, saying there is video evidence of Hamas looting aid, but provided no such videos. The spokesperson also accused traditional humanitarian groups of covering up "aid corruption." The findings were shared with the USAID's inspector general's office and State Department officials involved in Middle East policy, said two sources familiar with the matter, and come as dire food shortages deepen in the devastated enclave. Israel says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas, which it blames for the crisis. The U.N. World Food Program says nearly a quarter of Gaza's 2.1 million Palestinians face famine-like conditions, thousands are suffering acute malnutrition, and the World Health Organization and doctors in the enclave report starvation deaths of children and others. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore HDB resale price growth moderates in Q2, more flats sold Singapore Etomidate found in blood of 2 people involved in fatal Punggol Road accident in May: HSA Asia Live: Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue for second day Business Microsoft Singapore managing director Lee Hui Li dies while on sabbatical Singapore Private residential home prices up 1 per cent in Q2: URA Business Singapore factory output grows at faster pace of 8% in June, better than expected Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly The U.N. also estimates that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food supplies, the majority near the militarized distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the new private aid group that uses a for-profit U.S. logistics firm run by a former CIA officer and armed U.S. military veterans. The study was conducted by the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) of USAID, which was the largest funder of assistance to Gaza before the Trump administration froze all U.S. foreign aid in January, terminating thousands of programs. It has also begun dismantling USAID, whose functions have been folded into the State Department. The analysis found that at least 44 of the 156 incidents where aid supplies were reported stolen or lost were 'either directly or indirectly' due to Israeli military actions, according to the briefing slides. Israel's military did not respond to questions about those findings. The study noted a limitation: because Palestinians who receive aid cannot be vetted, it was possible that U.S.-funded supplies went to administrative officials of Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza. One source familiar with the study also cautioned that the absence of reports of widespread aid diversion by Hamas 'does not mean that diversion has not occurred.' The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli assault began, according to Palestinian health officials. ISRAEL SAYS HAMAS DIVERTS HUMANITARIAN AID Israel, which controls access to Gaza, has said that Hamas steals food supplies from U.N. and other organizations to use to control the civilian population and boost its finances, including by jacking up the prices of the goods and reselling them to civilians. Asked about the USAID report, the Israeli military told Reuters that its allegations are based on intelligence reports that Hamas militants seized cargoes by "both covertly and overtly" embedding themselves on aid trucks. Those reports also show that Hamas has diverted up to 25% of aid supplies to its fighters or sold them to civilians, the Israeli military said, adding that GHF has ended the militants' control of aid by distributing it directly to civilians. Hamas denies the allegations. A Hamas security official said that Israel has killed more than 800 Hamas-affiliated police and security guards trying to protect aid vehicles and convoy routes. Their missions were coordinated with the U.N. Reuters could not independently verify the claims by Hamas and Israel, which has not made public proof that the militants have systematically stolen aid. GHF also accuses Hamas of massive aid theft in defending its distribution model. The U.N. and other groups have rejected calls by GHF, Israel and the U.S. to cooperate with the foundation, saying it violates international humanitarian principles of neutrality. In response to a request for comment, GHF referred Reuters to a July 2 Washington Post article that quoted an unidentified Gazan and anonymous Israeli officials as saying Hamas profited from the sales and taxing of pilfered humanitarian aid. AID GROUPS REQUIRED TO REPORT LOSSES The 156 reports of theft or losses of supplies reviewed by BHA were filed by U.N. agencies and other humanitarian groups working in Gaza as a condition of receiving U.S. aid funds. The second source familiar with the matter said that after receiving reports of U.S.-funded aid thefts or losses, USAID staff followed up with partner organizations to try to determine if there was Hamas involvement. Those organizations also would "redirect or pause" aid distributions if they learned that Hamas was in the vicinity, the source said. Aid organizations working in Gaza also are required to vet their personnel, sub-contractors and suppliers for ties to extremist groups before receiving U.S. funds, a condition that the State Department waived in approving $30 million for GHF last month. The slide presentation noted that USAID partners tended to over-report aid diversion and theft by groups sanctioned or designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations - such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - because they want to avoid losing U.S. funding. Of the 156 incidents of loss or theft reported, 63 were attributed to unknown perpetrators, 35 to armed actors, 25 to unarmed people, 11 directly to Israeli military action, 11 to corrupt subcontractors, five to aid group personnel 'engaging in corrupt activities,' and six to 'others," a category that accounted for 'commodities stolen in unknown circumstances,' according to the slide presentation. The armed actors 'included gangs and other miscellaneous individuals who may have had weapons,' said a slide. Another slide said "a review of all 156 incidents found no affiliations with" U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, of which Hamas is one. 'The majority of incidents could not be definitively attributed to a specific actor,' said another slide. 'Partners often largely discovered the commodities had been stolen in transit without identifying the perpetrator.' It is possible there were classified intelligence reports on Hamas aid thefts, but BHA staff lost access to classified systems in the dismantlement of USAID, said a slide. However, a source familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments told Reuters that they knew of no U.S. intelligence reports detailing Hamas aid diversions and that Washington was relying on Israeli reports. The BHA analysis found that the Israeli military 'directly or indirectly caused' a total of 44 incidents in which U.S.-funded aid was lost or stolen. Those included the 11 attributed to direct Israeli military actions, such as airstrikes or orders to Palestinians to evacuate areas of the war-torn enclave. Losses indirectly attributed to Israeli military included cases where they compelled aid groups to use delivery routes with high risks of theft or looting, ignoring requests for alternative routes, the analysis said. REUTERS


CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Philippines hopes to further lower tariff rate to around 15%, says ambassador to US
SINGAPORE: Manila hopes to renegotiate a trade deal it struck with the United States earlier this week that yielded a new 19 per cent tariff rate, said the ambassador of the Philippines to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez on Friday (Jul 25). 'It is clear that we can still renegotiate … The head of our trade team will probably be coming back to Washington DC to see how we can still manage to lower that,' he told CNA. 'President Trump announced that the lowest he will go is 15 per cent to any country, so we're still hoping that we will be able to break down our level of tariff to around the same figure.' Trump said on Wednesday that the US will settle on a tariff rate of 'anywhere between 15 per cent and 50 per cent' on its trading partners – more than the baseline rate of 10 per cent he had set in April. It comes as the US has made progress on deals around those numbers, with the Aug 1 deadline for negotiations looming closer. The new 19 per cent tariff imposed on the Philippines is just below the 20 per cent threatened by Trump earlier this month, but still above the 17 per cent rate he proposed in April under a plan for reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries. It matches the 19 per cent rate announced for Indonesia and bests Vietnam's slightly higher rate of 20 per cent. Singapore faces the lowest rate – 10 per cent – in Southeast Asia. This latest US-Philippines trade was announced on Tuesday following a meeting at the White House between Trump and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who was the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term. DETAILS NOT 'COMPLETELY DISCLOSED' As part of the deal, Manila will open its market to Washington. Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that the Philippines will have no tariffs on American goods, but Marcos later said the zero tariffs will only be on certain products. When asked about this, Romualdez said Manila has identified several areas that cannot have zero tariff or a free flow. But he added that details of the deal have not been 'completely disclosed'. 'We are still going to be able to go over it and still go, one by one, on the deals or on the tariffs that will be given to the United States, if there's any, on certain items - like I said, mostly agricultural products. 'But as mentioned by President Marcos, automobiles are definitely one item that has already been agreed upon. We will be importing American cars to the Philippines without any tariff,' he added. The ambassador noted that Japan had earlier this week negotiated their tariff rate down from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. He pointed out that this means there is still room for negotiations. As for how this could affect his country's economic growth, Romualdez said exports to the US only account for 16 per cent of the Philippines' total exports. 'Some of our leaders in our country have already said - like other countries are doing right now - they're looking for other markets where they can export their products, which is what we are doing already right now,' Romualdez added. The US had a deficit of nearly US$5 billion with the Philippines last year on bilateral goods trade of US$23.5 billion. SECURITY COOPERATION Romualdez also noted that Trump has 'made it clear' he tried to peg the tariff rates to the Philippines' defence relations with the US. Trump had said the two Pacific allies, which will celebrate 80 years of diplomatic relations next year, would also work together militarily but gave no details. Romualdez told CNA's Asia First: 'Obviously, the special relations that we have with the United States on our defence alliance is an important part of this whole equation. 'However, like I said, it is still not a completely done deal as pointed out, because we still have time to be able to look into possibilities of bringing it lower.' In terms of how Manila's security cooperation with Washington influenced the economic terms of the deal, as well as the meeting between Trump and Marcos, Romualdez noted that both countries have inked several security agreements with commercial components. 'The US Congress had just approved that an ammunition manufacturing facility will be established in the Philippines. That … will create jobs,' he said. 'This is the kind of agreement that we're looking at, that will combine both defence and economic (aspects). But we made it very clear that whatever it is, economic prosperity for the Philippines means economic security, and it will also mean more resources for us to be able to bump up or modernise our armed forces.' With the Philippines facing intense pressure from China in the contested South China Sea, Marcos has pivoted closer to the US, expanding its access to Philippine military bases. Both nations have a seven-decade-old mutual defence treaty and hold dozens of annual exercises. Romualdez also said the Philippines will continue to reach out to other countries, including China. MIGRATION CRACKDOWN As for the issue of immigration, Romualdez said its current figures show about 3,700 Filipinos were being processed for deportation. Reports have emerged of Filipinos without valid visas being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, amid Trump's push to clamp down on illegal migration. According to data from the US Department of Homeland Security, there were around 350,000 undocumented immigrants from the Philippines in the US as at 2022 - the fifth-highest number after Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Romualdez said he has met with the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. 'We have agreed that any Filipino, no matter what their status – meaning to say, if they have any criminal record or whatsoever – (if) they're up for deportation, we, the Philippines, will take them to our country, rather than to a third country,' he added.