Thousands of State Department employees don't feel supported by Trump, survey reveals

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Thousands of State Department and US Agency for International Development employees are concerned that they don’t have the support needed from Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

That’s according to a new report, commissioned by the State Department and set to be sent to employees just after the Fourth of July. A copy of the report was reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, which noted that the employees are concerned about the future of their agencies.

“I want to reiterate that we began this process with no preconceived notions about the outcome,” a video accompanying the reports release shows Mr Tillerson saying. “Our goal is, and always has been, to address challenges to the way our department operates. Your honesty and candid input is deeply valued as we devote our energy to building a better State Department.”

The report was commissioned by the Trump administration as Mr Tillerson embarks on an effort to restructure agencies in the State Department to run more efficiently, and come as steep budget cuts loom on the horizon.

Not all of the concerns expressed in the report were a result of the Trump administration, however.

Many of the over 35,000 responses noted frustration with the way the agencies have functioned for a long time, poor technology, as well as duplicative and redundant processes that waste agency time.

The report run 110 pages long, and was conducted by consulting firm Insigniam for $1.1 million. The 35,386 respondents make up roughly 43 percent of the people who received the questionnaire at all. There were 300 in-person interviews or phone interviews.

Mr Trump’s State Department is trying to reform itself at precisely the time that the US faces increased threats from North Korea, and as American officials try to quell agitated relations with Russia. Making friendly with Russia, in addition to avoiding any conflict that could lead to catastrophic results, could help the US in its attempt to end long-running wars in the Middle East.