Some Republicans also say the impact of the DOGE cuts to the government’s war response is overstated. The State Department launched a 24/7 task force to assist Americans in the Middle East on the day the strikes began. “There were no RIFs that affected our overseas operations that are working in the field to assist Americans,” a senior State Department official said. Work the office was doing was transferred to a new one now staffed with contractors and employees with limited experience working directly on counter-Iran initiatives, according to a former State Department official. “One could make the argument that we should be doing the same thing now,” one senior FEMA official told CNN.

Source: CNN March 11, 2026 17:06 UTC