Jen Kates

@jenkatesdc.bsky.social

2199 Followers 211 Following

Senior VP/Director, Global & Public Health Policy, @kff.org. Health policy, epidemics, data, & parenting. NYC born & raised, DC is now home.

RIGHTING THE SHIP
Ensuring the State Department is accountable for serving American citizens
first will require—at a minimum—that the following steps be implemented
immediately:
Review Retroactively. Before inauguration, the President-elect’s department
transition team should assess every aspect of State Department negotiations and
funding commitments. Upon inauguration, the Secretary of State should order an
immediate freeze on all efforts to implement unratified treaties and international
agreements, allocation of resources, foreign assistance disbursements, domestic
and international contracts and payments, hiring and recruiting decisions, etc.,
pending a political appointee-driven review to ensure that such efforts comport
with the new Administration’s policies. The quality of this review is more important
than speed. The posture of the department during this review should be an
unwavering desire to prioritize the American people—including a recognition that
the federal government must be a diligent steward of taxpayer dollars.