Wonderful report from CNN of all places:
Major cuts to National Security Council staff expected as soon as next week, sources say
National security adviser Robert O'Brien is expected to make major cuts to the National Security Council staff as early as next week, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Some people with knowledge of the impending change previously said once President Donald Trump's impeachment trial had concluded, O'Brien was expected to oust about a dozen or so officials as part of an effort to streamline the NSC, which critics charge has become too large.
O'Brien has largely been downsizing the NSC by attrition and getting staffers detailed to the council from other departments to return earlier than planned to their home agencies, but one of the sources told CNN it looks like the final phase will involve more direct firings and cuts.
"So it's bloated. We're going to bring it back to a size that's manageable and efficient. And look, the folks who are there, they really need to want to serve the President," O'Brien told Fox News' Laura Ingraham Tuesday night.
Good news - it is the job of the President of the United States to set foreign policy - not anyone else.
How bad was the bloat?
O'Brien said the council had "ballooned up" to 236 policy professionals in the Obama administration from about 100 during the Bush administration.
"Another week or two, I think we'll have met our goal," he said.
Good - no need for it to be in the White House either - some office park in Kansas would be just as good what with teleconferencing and the internet...
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