Lawmakers demand response to sex harassment allegations at State and Defense departments
WASHINGTON _ Ten Democratic senators on Wednesday demanded that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other senior administration officials respond to allegations of widespread sexual harassment in the government's national security establishment.
The lawmakers cited an open letter published in late November that was signed by more than 200 current and former female government employees who said they had witnessed, been subjected to or knew of incidents of sexual harassment or assault at their workplaces or at the hands of co-workers.
The women included employees of the State Department, the Pentagon, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other parts of the government.
Ben Cardin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the other senators asked Tillerson and Mark Green, who heads USAID, to review and more effectively analyze data on sexual assaults and to "make dramatic, corrective change."
"These incidents and the pervasive culture that all too frequently excuses these behaviors and actions have had serious and detrimental consequences for the careers and lives of those affected ... and a deep and negative effect on our national security," the letter said.
The letter was signed by 10 Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which provides oversight for the State Department and USAID.
_Tribune Washington Bureau
