It wasn’t immediately clear how many people would be dismissed.
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — On Thursday, the State Department informed employees that layoff notices would soon be issued to some staff members. This moves forward the significant restructuring announced by the Trump administration earlier this year.
The reductions in personnel and the overhaul of the diplomatic corps form part of a broader administration initiative to downsize the federal government, spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency, which was previously helmed by Elon Musk.
A recent Supreme Court decision has allowed these layoffs to proceed, though legal battles over the cuts’ legal basis are ongoing. Opponents argue that the proposed scale of reductions at the State Department could diminish U.S. global influence and hinder many offices in fulfilling their objectives.
Michael Rigas, the department’s deputy secretary for management and resources, said in a statement that select staffers would be informed if they were being laid off and called it part of the department’s biggest reorganization in decades.
“Soon, the Department will be communicating to individuals affected by the reduction in force. First and foremost, we want to thank them for their dedication and service to the United States,” he said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many people would be dismissed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials took “a very deliberate step to reorganize the State Department to be more efficient and more focused.”
“It’s not a consequence of trying to get rid of people. But if you close the bureau, you don’t need those positions,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he’s attending the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. “Understand that some of these are positions that are being eliminated, not people.”
He said some of the cuts will be unfilled positions or those that are about to be vacant because an employee took an early retirement.
In late May, the State Department notified Congress of an updated reorganization plan, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had been revealed earlier by Rubio as well as an 18% reduction of staff in the U.S., even higher than the 15% initially floated in April.
Rigas’ statement said the department is aiming to “focus resources on policy priorities and eliminate redundant functions, empowering our people while increasing accountability.”
The State Department is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with oversight of America’s two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military. It also intends to eliminate programs related to refugees and immigration, as well as human rights and democracy promotion.
The American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents diplomats, urged the State Department last month to hold off on job cuts.
Notices for a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate positions altogether, “should be a last resort,” association President Tom Yazdgerdi said. “Disrupting the Foreign Service like this puts national interests at risk — and Americans everywhere will bear the consequences.”
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