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Diplomacy Disrupted: How Cuts to U.S. Agencies Are Reshaping Foreign Policy
July 17 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
In a series of sweeping and controversial moves, in early 2025 the Trump Administration dismissed thousands of government employees across key institutions that form the backbone of America’s national security, humanitarianism, and global engagement. These included the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of State, the Voice of America (VOA), the National Security Council, and several other critical agencies. The scale and speed of these personnel cuts have raised urgent questions about the future of U.S. diplomacy, international development, and the country’s ability to project soft power on the global stage.
Yet, in a striking reversal, on June 13, the Voice of America reinstated dozens of Farsi-speaking journalists who had previously been placed on administrative leave by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This sudden pivot suggests that broadcasting to audiences in Iran has become an unexpected priority, highlighting the Administration’s shifting strategic focus and the complex interplay between staffing decisions and foreign policy objectives. What are the long-term implications of hollowing out the diplomatic corps while selectively restoring capabilities in high-stakes regions? How might these changes affect America’s influence abroad, its alliances, and its ability to respond to global crises? Join the WAC for an in-depth conversation with experts from the American Foreign Service Association as they explore the profound impact of these staffing and funding reductions on the tools of diplomacy and the strategic posture of the United States in an increasingly complex world.
Eric Rubin
Ambassador Eric Rubin was elected to serve as the President of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) after his recent posting as U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria (2016-2019). Joining the Foreign Service in 1985 after graduating from Yale, he started as a political and human rights officer in Honduras (1985-1988). In 1989 he was assigned to the State Department’s Operations Center. From 1989 to 1991 he worked in the Office of Soviet Union Affairs where he monitored and reported on the collapse of the Soviet Union. Next, he served as the security affairs officer for Central and Eastern Europe. He left Washington in 1994 for Kiev, Ukraine as Deputy Political Counselor. While there he was a recipient of AF[1]SA’s William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent by Mid-Level Officers for his work on the Bosnia crisis.
In 1996 he returned to Washington to work for the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs. From 1997-1998, he served as an Assistant White House Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs and in 1998 he was the spe[1]cial assistant to Ambassador Thomas Pickering—then the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. For 1999-2000 Ambassador Rubin was a Rusk Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University where he enjoyed teaching about diplomacy.
In 2001 he was posted to Chiang Mai, Thailand as Consul General. In 2004 he returned to Washington as the director of the Office of Policy Planning and Coordination in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. In 2006 he served as the executive assistant to R. Nicholas Burns—the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs at the time.
From 2008 to 2011 he served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow. And from 2011 to 2015 he served as a deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. Ambassador Rubin is married with two children.
Philip A. Shull
Mr. Philip A. Shull has over 30 years of experience as a senior agricultural diplomat and executive with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). In pursuing the mission of expanding food and agricultural exports and promoting global food security, Mr. Shull has led negotiations, directed strategic and market development planning, conducted economic and marketing analysis, and overseen multi-million dollar marketing, technical exchange, and food aid budgets. He has been a persuasive and effective advocate of U.S. and international positions on food and agricultural issues to audiences ranging from cabinet ministers to small farmers, and represented the U.S. at international agriculture forums on food safety, sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues, and biotechnology.
Mr. Shull retired from USDA in 2016 from his position as Minister Counselor for Agriculture at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, USDA’s largest and most important overseas post. During his 30+ years with USDA he also directed offices in Manila, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Guangzhou, and twice in Beijing. In his Washington postings, Mr. Shull served in various capacities involving economic analysis, trade policy, and export expansion, including as director of international marketing.
