Special envoys for Syria, Sudan and South Sudan, and the Arctic will be eliminated. Tillerson notes that the department has nearly 70 special envoys, many that still exist even though the underlying issues have been resolved. Indeed, Tillerson himself appointed a special representative for Ukraine negotiations, career diplomat Kurt Volker, in July. In 2014, the American Foreign Service Association said that the number of special envoys and representatives had "increased substantially, diluting the brand and reducing effectiveness." At the testy Senate foreign relations hearing in July, Democrats expressed concern about eliminating special envoy positions.

Source: CNN August 28, 2017 20:11 UTC