By Reagan Reese | Daily Caller
The State Department is ending a program that for decades has given benefits and funds to low-performing diplomats rather than phasing them out of the department, according to a memo obtained by the Daily Caller.
Under the Annuity Exception, Foreign Service members have been able to remain on the State Department payroll beyond their scheduled departure from the administration, the internal memo explains. The memo states that the exception violates the Foreign Service Act of 1980, which dictates who receives retirement benefits.
“This program is unfortunately the perfect example of the corruption, waste, and abuse that has gone unchecked at the State Department for far too long,” a senior State Department official told the Caller. “This program had sent millions of unauthorized taxpayer dollars to underperforming diplomats and previous administrations simply turned a blind eye, but at the direction of Secretary Rubio this will no longer be the case. Under President Trump, this administration will be unwavering in their commitment to ensure Americans’ resources will no longer be squandered.”
It appears that the government has known about this violation for years. In 1995, the Office of the Legal Adviser recommended to the State Department that they eliminate the program, writing that there was a “possibility that a court would find that the current practice is an impermissible reading of the statute,” the memo states.
“[W]e could expect objections from Congress, who if they learn of the practice could argue that [it is] inconsistent with Congressional intent in creating an ‘up or out’ system and [it is] an inappropriate use of our authorities when more junior members of the Service face the prospect of RIFs [reductions in force],” the Office of the Legal Adviser wrote at the time, according to the memo.