Have you ever lost track of how many cookies were left in the jar? Most families know exactly how many people live in their home. Even small businesses keep careful track of their employees. But apparently, that’s too much to ask of our bloated federal government.

When it comes to wasting your hard-earned tax dollars, Washington bureaucrats never seem to run out of ways to disappoint. But what Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team just discovered at Foggy Bottom might be the most jaw-dropping example yet.

Rubio’s staff made an absolutely stunning revelation while implementing the biggest State Department reorganization since the Cold War. When they asked for a simple headcount of employees, department officials couldn’t provide an answer – for three whole months!

From Fox News:

When senior State Department officials set out to trim the agency in the “biggest reorganization since the Cold War,” they couldn’t get a total headcount on employees — for months, they say.

“It took us three months to get a list of the people that actually work in the building,” one senior State Department official told reporters during a briefing at Foggy Bottom on Monday, defending the job cuts that detractors have claimed will damage U.S. diplomacy.

“They couldn’t tell you how many people worked here,” the official said. “It’s sort of scary as a taxpayer and as a public servant to think that we don’t even know how many employees we have. This is a national security agency, you know. Who are these people?”

Let that sink in. A massive federal department handling sensitive diplomatic matters and national security couldn’t even tell you who was on their payroll. And we’re supposed to trust them with billions in taxpayer dollars?

Mountains of Waste Uncovered

The deeper Rubio’s team dug, the worse things got. They found three separate offices handling sanctions and two different offices working on arms control. Some documents required “40 to 50 clearances” instead of a reasonable maximum of 12.

The department had dozens of different offices handling human resources. When new employees were hired, the State Department was still accepting faxed records about their past work. Faxes! In 2025!

“It’s crazy that a department that’s tasked with so many critical diplomatic, national security functions, with a $50 billion plus budget is running its affairs that way,” an official explained.

Perhaps most shocking was the discovery that the department was “making payments out of like 60 plus different offices.” No wonder they couldn’t keep track of anything!

The investigation also revealed a “diplomats in residence” program where, according to officials, “State Department employees are getting paid to go hang out at Georgetown, and sort of recruit for the Foreign Service without any sort of metrics or accountability.” Your tax dollars at work.

Smart Cuts, Not Deep Cuts

The reorganization currently underway will ultimately reduce the workforce by about 3,000 positions. About half of those employees took voluntary buyouts, while the other half received reduction in force notices this month.

But contrary to critics’ claims, Rubio’s team made surgical cuts to bureaucratic fat while protecting America’s diplomatic muscle.

They didn’t touch country desks focused on nations like Iran or China. No cuts were made to passport services, diplomatic security, or any embassies or foreign posts. Instead, they targeted redundant administrative positions and programs with questionable value.

The goal is straightforward: streamline operations by reducing the maximum number of approvals on any document from “40, 50 clearances” to “a maximum of 12 clearances.” This common-sense approach focuses on eliminating duplication rather than gutting essential services.

While some former officials have expressed concerns about the cuts, Rubio’s team remains focused on creating a leaner, more effective State Department that actually serves American interests abroad rather than feeding an ever-growing bureaucracy at home.

For taxpayers tired of seeing their money vanish into the black hole of government waste, this reorganization offers a glimmer of hope. Shouldn’t we expect our government agencies to at least know who works for them? This is the bare minimum of accountability we deserve from those entrusted with our national security and diplomatic corps.

Key Takeaways

• State Department officials couldn’t produce a basic employee headcount for three months during Rubio’s reorganization effort
• Investigators discovered dozens of duplicate offices, including three separate sanctions teams and two arms control divisions
• Despite critics’ concerns, cuts targeted bureaucratic waste while preserving frontline diplomacy and essential services
• The reorganization will eliminate 3,000 positions, streamlining operations at the $50 billion agency

Sources: Fox News