"Revoke the dismissals of over 20 ambassadors"/ Democratic Senators letter to Trump

2025-12-24 18:42:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"Revoke the dismissals of over 20 ambassadors"/ Democratic Senators

Democratic senators have urged U.S. President Donald Trump to reverse the withdrawal of more than 20 diplomats, warning that the move leaves a dangerous leadership vacuum that allows U.S. adversaries like Russia and China to expand their influence.

The Trump administration in recent days has ordered more than 20 diplomats serving in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America to return to Washington to ensure that U.S. missions abroad reflect its “America First” priorities.

Calling the mass firings an action no other administration has taken since Congress established the modern Foreign Service a century ago, 10 Democratic senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said there was no plan to replace them with suitable candidates.

The firings would leave more than 100 U.S. ambassador positions vacant, about half of all such positions worldwide, the senators said in a letter to Trump. The senators said 80 positions were vacant before the decision.

"As more than 100 U.S. embassies without senior leadership await a new U.S. ambassador, China, Russia, and others will maintain regular communication with foreign leaders that we will have effectively abandoned, allowing our adversaries to expand their reach and influence to limit, and even harm, U.S. interests," the Democrats' letter states.

Senators, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Murphy and others, gave examples of how Washington would be deprived of a high-level American presence in critical places as Beijing and Moscow advance.

In regions from the Indo-Pacific to Africa and the Balkans, as well as Latin America, Washington will fall behind in addressing China's expanding economic reach, the senators said in their letter.

"These ambassadors have demonstrated their commitment to faithfully implementing the policies of administrations of both parties for decades. We urge you to immediately reverse this decision before further damage is caused to America's image in the world ," the senators said.

Politically appointed ambassadors leave their posts when a new administration takes office, but career diplomats, while serving at the discretion of the president, are often considered bipartisan and typically serve three to four years in their overseas posts, regardless of whether the administration changes. /CNA