Statement from The Steady State on the Mass Firing of State Department Officers
Julyl 13, 2025
Washington, D.C. — July 13, 2025 — The Steady State, a non-profit, non-partisan, advocacy group of more than 300 former national security officials, issued the following statement in the wake of the July 11, 2025 purge of State Department staff.
Friday’s mass termination of career Foreign Service Officers and Civil Servants at the U.S. Department of State is an act of sabotage against American national security.
As former Ambassadors, CIA Chiefs of Station, senior Department of Defense officials, and other national security professionals, members of The Steady State have worked alongside these dedicated public servants in every corner of the globe and throughout the interagency process in Washington. Some of us served in the same jobs from which they were fired. We know firsthand the caliber, commitment, and courage of those who serve at State.
Steven Cash, Steady State’s Executive Director, said “[t]he State Department is not a political prize. It is an indispensable instrument of American power, diplomacy, and global leadership. These firings — carried out in service of a political agenda rather than national interest — undermine the very foundation of a functioning foreign policy and national defense.”
This purge does more than decimate institutional knowledge. It increases the risk of miscalculation and conflict, damages our ability to thrive in a global economy, leaves our allies without trusted counterparts, and heartens our adversaries who benefit from American disarray.
And it will hurt ordinary Americans. When they travel overseas they will be less safe. At home, they will pay more for the things we need – everything from cars to toys. And most importantly, Americans are more likely to send their sons and daughters off to war – and many will never come back.
The dismantling of the State Department is not just an attack on one agency — it is an attack on the entire national security apparatus that has kept Americans safe, protected our interests, and promoted peace and stability around the world for generations.
We call on Congress, current leaders in national security, and the American public to recognize this for what it is: a grave threat to the republic, and a betrayal of those who have dedicated their lives to serving it.
Agree with the post and the comment below. This is a disservice to all Americans who will not understand the risks of travel and lose needed intelligence about our national security.
I just returned to Washington after three enjoyable weeks in one of America's NATO allies. Practically everyone I enountered was gobsmacked at how quiet we Americans are, as our institutions are being trashed. The State Department officials who have been shown the door are among the best our country has produced. This isn't the space to ramble on. But when our Department of Justice fires prosecutors for prosecuting insurrectionists, and investigates former heads of the CIA and FBI for doing their jobs honestly, well, even that old rascal Joe McCarthy might be amazed and astounded at the audacity.