Last week, Tillerson told Fox News he was concerned about the White House’s budget blueprint for fiscal year 2018 which calls for cutting State Department’s funds by around 30 percent.
“I have seen firsthand how much he appreciates — and that appreciation is growing, I assure you — for the work of our hard-working public servants here,” Tillerson said on Thursday.
Trump expressed these sentiments in a statement earlier, Tillerson said, claiming he was grateful for the work of “all members of the United States Foreign Service and Civil Services at federal agencies here at home as well as at embassies and consulates around the globe.”
Tillerson added that promoting safety and security of the American people would remain one of the main priorities of the Trump administration.
