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Read It: Tillerson’s Letter Disbanding State Department’s Special Envoys

Secretary of state takes aim at positions that have “accomplished or outlived their original purpose.”

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is seeking to scrap some special envoy jobs at the State Department and transfer others to different government agencies, arguing that many of the positions are no longer necessary. “I believe that the Department will be able to better execute its mission by integrating certain envoys and special representative offices within the regional and functional bureaus, and eliminating those that have accomplished or outlived their original purpose,” Tillerson wrote to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) in a letter obtained by The Daily Beast. Special envoys for sanctions policy, implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, and climate change would all be scrapped under the plan.