More than 1,000 employees at the US State Department have been laid off as part of a large-scale effort by the Trump administration to reduce the size of the federal government. A notice sent to staff revealed that 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service employees were let go. Additionally, over 1,500 employees had already taken voluntary departures earlier this year as part of a broader reorganisation plan.
The latest layoffs have sparked criticism, with many arguing that the cuts could negatively affect the department’s ability to function effectively. Reports stated that nearly all civil service roles in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration’s office of admissions, responsible for refugee resettlement, were eliminated. Employees from the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) office were also among those affected.
Footage shared online showed emotional scenes of employees at the department, with laid-off staff carrying boxes, hugging colleagues, and receiving applause as they left the building. Outside, protesters held signs saying “Thank you to America’s diplomats” and “We all deserve better.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during a visit to Malaysia, said, “It’s not a consequence of trying to get rid of people. But if you close the bureau, you don’t need those positions. Understand that some of these are positions that are being eliminated, not people.”
Democratic senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee responded strongly, calling the move damaging to national security. “The decision to fire hundreds of members of the Civil Service and Foreign Service at the Department of State undermines our national security,” they said in a statement. They also criticized the move as part of a failed restructuring plan, writing, “Blanket and indiscriminate cuts weaken our government’s ability to deliver for the American people.”
These layoffs follow a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the administration’s plan to reduce the federal workforce to proceed. A letter earlier this year had outlined a goal to reduce the State Department’s workforce by 18 percent, which included over 18,700 US-based employees at the time.
In a related move, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was officially shut down, with more than 80 percent of its programs cancelled and the rest absorbed by the State Department as of July 1.
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