U.S. Senators led by Jeanne Shaheen, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing concerns about the safety of U.S. diplomats and citizens in the Middle East following recent military actions against Iran. The group includes Senators Chris Murphy, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley, Cory Booker, Chris Van Hollen, Tammy Duckworth, and Jacky Rosen.
The senators criticized what they described as insufficient preparation by the State Department for foreseeable risks after Operation Epic Fury. They stated: “We write with deep concern for the safety and security of U.S. diplomatic personnel and American citizens across the Middle East as a result of Operation Epic Fury,” wrote the Senators. “As you have often acknowledged, the State Department has no higher responsibility than protecting American citizens and U.S. personnel overseas. Unfortunately, the Department’s actions demonstrate a clear lack of preparedness for the predictable risks this operation would create for our personnel and assets abroad.”
They continued: “Simply put, abrupt decision-making and lack of planning by State Department leadership to ensure the safety and security of its own staff left our personnel and their families unnecessarily at risk,” continued the Senators. “Days into the conflict, the Department still appears caught off-guard and lacks a clear, comprehensive plan to safeguard American personnel, their families or other Americans in the region. Notably, there have been no public press briefings by the Department. Although Congress has been briefed on aspects of the conflict, the State Department has failed to keep Congress adequately informed about embassy security developments or the status of personnel. This is unacceptable.”
The letter also points out that staffing shortages within key bureaus such as Near Eastern Affairs and Consular Affairs have reduced support capacity during this crisis period.
The senators concluded: “We owe our diplomats and U.S. citizens better,” concluded the Senators. “We expect the Department to keep us updated on threats facing U.S. personnel and assets in real time, to ramp up efforts to evacuate personnel and family members and prioritize filling key posts.”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is responsible for shaping U.S foreign policy through examination of treaties and legislation (official website). The committee was established in 1816 as one of Senate's original standing committees (official website). It designates its Chairman to lead majority members while its Ranking Member heads minority members (official website).
Historically, this committee has played significant roles in major foreign policy decisions such as supporting measures like Truman Doctrine (1947), Marshall Plan (1948), as well as rejecting Treaty of Versailles (1919–1920) (official website). It operates within government as a legislative body focused on international relations (official website).
