State Department, reorganization plan
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Intelligencer on MSNTrump’s Mass State Department Layoffs Upend Foreign PolicyAlong with rescissions hitting foreign aid, the new round of firings shows Trump is still bent on tearing down bipartisan foreign-policy traditions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists he is streamlining a bloated department, but critics warn the cost to America’s standing and influence could be high.
The State Department will lay off more than 1,300 people as part of a broad restructuring plan, Reuters is reporting. The layoffs will affect 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers, according to Reuters, which said it has seen an internal notice. The Associated Press is reporting the same number.
U.S. diplomats in Washington are bracing for cuts to the State Department workforce, with dismissal notices expected to hit inboxes as soon as Friday, according to three State Department officials with knowledge of the plans.
Live updates and the latest news as President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour the Texas flood devastation and the U.S. prepares to impose blanket tariffs on trading partners.
No State Department official publicly said when the first notices for the planned layoffs would be sent, but the widespread expectation is for the terminations to start as soon as Friday.
A rally is expected, with supporters “clapping out” departing State Department employees and protesting the layoffs at 4 p.m. Friday.
Employees of the U.S. State Department could receive a layoff notice via email very soon as part of the Trump administration's plan to downsize the government.