RIFs come to roost at State

Politico

11-07-2025

With help from Joe Gould, Phelim Kine, Felicia Schwartz and Zach Montellaro
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The State Department proceeded with long-expected staff cuts this morning, making good on one part of Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO's pledge to overhaul Foggy Bottom and root out what he alleges is inefficiency.
As the secretary wrapped up his trip to Asia, employees received individual layoff notices signed by Global Talent Management chief LEW OLOWSKI, per State Department officials and staffers and documents seen by NatSec Daily. The full implications won't be clear for a while, but your hosts have a few takeaways:
First, the number of actual cuts is lower than many expected. It'd been thought that more than 2,000 State Department employees would get pink slips, including 750 Foreign Service officers. According to an internal State Department memo, 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers were laid off today.
That difference may be because so many State Department staff took advantage of the deferred resignation program. Overall, around 3,000 members of the workforce will be leaving, the memo said, suggesting more than 1,800 State Department employees opted to voluntarily depart.
As expected, the bureaus hit hardest by the cuts included Energy Resources; Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Population, Refugees and Migration; and Consular Affairs. So too were offices managing foreign assistance programs. But the staff reductions also affected more management divisions than initially expected. Notices went out to staff in the Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, and the offices running the Foreign Service Internship Program and prestigious fellowships such as the Pickering, to name a few.
Even some sections of the State Department that U.S. law requires be staffed — such as the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts — were hit with layoffs. AfghanEvac's SHAWN VANDIVER, a major advocate for the resettlement of Afghan refugees who helped the U.S. during 20-year U.S. operations in the country, said in a message to reporters today that State fired the current acting coordinator of the office. Vandiver noted that State must name a coordinator to comply with federal laws providing for the resettlement.
Your hosts are hearing that many people who were pushed out were considered high performers or had specialized skills like speaking multiple difficult languages. That may be because the layoffs appeared partly based on which office the staffer was in, as opposed to their skills or work history. This has felt especially unfair to Foreign Service staffers, who rotate offices every few years.
Some people may have also been notified incorrectly that they were being laid off. Some State Department staffers received messages from Olowski that they erroneously were given notices due to 'an administrative error,' per copies of the messages seen by NatSec Daily, and that they are not losing their jobs. That indicates that even State, which has conducted a relatively orderly purge of staff, may encounter more hiccups down the line, and the total number may be different.
Moreover, it seems like Democrats and supporters of fired State Department employees — unable to exert any direct pain on the administration for the restructure — are replicating the playbook used to protest the elimination of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Ahead of the layoff, Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called the move 'illegal' even after the Supreme Court green-lighted the cuts. This afternoon, Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-Md.) will also join former State Department officials for a 'clap out' of fired employees.
Finally, emotions, understandably, are raw within the department and are likely to stay that way for a while. Staffers weren't shy about expressing how they felt 'jerked around' by a leadership team they accuse of putting political interests above national interests.
'We are being run by incompetent, nihilistic, right-wing Maoists,' a fired staffer said. The staffer, like others NatSec Daily spoke to, was granted anonymity out of fear of further reprisals.
At least one flier was posted in restrooms around the State Department urging remaining colleagues to 'resist fascism' and to 'remember the oath you vowed to uphold.'
For its part, the State Department is defending the layoffs. At a press briefing today, spokesperson TAMMY BRUCE said cuts were made accounting for 'extensive feedback,' and she reiterated department leadership's commitment to the tens of thousands of employees who remain. In an X post, she also said the layoffs were necessary to 'make our work more efficient, nimble, and effective — making America safer, stronger and more prosperous.'
The Inbox
CRINK CLUES: Ukraine's military intelligence chief warned today that North Korea is now supplying as much as 40 percent of the ammunition Russia is using in its invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg's Daryna Krasnolutska and Olesia Safronova report. And that's not the only major contribution North Korea is making to the Russian war effort.
In an interview with the outlet, KYRYLO BUDANOV said that North Korean leader KIM JONG UN is providing Moscow with ballistic missiles and artillery systems in exchange for cash and technology that's easing Pyongyang's international isolation.
It's a sign of the deepening partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow. And it comes as the U.S. teases some major action on Ukraine. President DONALD TRUMP said today 'you'll be seeing things happen' on Monday. That followed an interview late Thursday with NBC News in which Trump suggested a deal was in place with NATO to provide Ukraine with Patriot missiles.
MIGRANTS FOR BETTER RELATIONS? The Trump administration is indeed asking African nations to accept deportees from Venezuela as a way to improve relations with Washington, Nigeria's top diplomat said today.
Per Reuters' Macdonald Dzirutwe, Nigerian Foreign Minister YUSUF TUGGAR told Nigerian television stations that 'the U.S. is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the U.S., some straight out of prison.' Tuggar also cautioned that Nigeria wasn't in a position to accommodate the U.S. request given its current domestic challenges.
Tuggar's comments follow reports from The Wall Street Journal that the president asked the leaders of Mauritania, Gabon, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Liberia at a lunch in Washington on Wednesday whether they would accept deportees from the United States. And it's the latest sign of an increasing quid pro quo which countries beyond the Western Hemisphere are considering taking migrants as a way to appease Trump.
Related: Global leaders' 'daddy' strategy: Flatter Trump to get close to the US by our colleague Nicole Markus
BAD NUMBERS FOR DEMOCRATS: A poll from liberal-leaning group National Security Action contains some worrying numbers for Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterms: Voters aren't keen on the Trump administration's national security blunders, but they don't have much confidence in Democrats either.
The poll finds that 58 percent of voters see Democrats in Congress as weak when it comes to U.S. national security. By contrast, just 45 percent of voters said the same of Trump. That disparity comes from the fact a large number of voters surveyed said they don't think Democrats are doing enough to stand up to Trump on national security issues. The poll by firm Hart Research surveyed 1,519 voters June 10-25 and has a 3 percent margin of error.
Those numbers indicate that Democrats have a lot of convincing to do ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 general election on their national security strategy.
But it also suggests a potential opportunity, given that plenty of Trump's foreign policy moves aren't popular. Forty-nine percent of voters said the president is making America less safe. And large majorities said they opposed firing women military officers and military officers of color from major leadership positions and purging intelligence analysts at odds with Trump's ideological direction. Voters also disapproved of Trump's handling of the war in Ukraine and his threats to seize Greenland and make Canada a U.S. state.
RUBIO TEASES TRUMP-XI MEETING: Rubio emerged from his meeting with China's Foreign Minister WANG YI on the sidelines of the ASEAN East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur touting a looming summit in China between Trump and Chinese leader XI JINPING, our own Phelim Kine writes in.
'It's a visit he wants to undertake, and so we'll work on finding the right date for that, but I'm sure it'll happen because both presidents want it to happen,' Rubio told reporters today.
Trump, the consummate self-styled dealmaker, has repeatedly stated his interest in meeting with Xi as a way to fast-track a U.S.-China trade deal. The Chinese leader resisted those overtures until he invited Trump to visit China during a call between the two leaders last month. Rubio didn't specify the timing for a possible Trump-Xi meeting but said 'the odds are high' that it will happen if the two sides can 'build the right atmosphere and the right deliverables,' per a separate State Department statement.
That refers to ongoing efforts to resolve U.S.-China trade frictions that peaked in April when the two countries imposed triple-digit tariffs on each other's imports, effectively shutting down trade between the two countries. U.S.-China trade negotiators are now scrambling to seal a trade deal for lower tariffs and an easing on export restrictions by an Aug. 12 deadline. The earliest possible timing for a meeting between the two leaders is early September.
Read: Rubio's 36-Hour Trip to Asia Left U.S. Allies Wanting More by The Wall Street Journal's Vera Bergengruen and Chun Han Wong
DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of the national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink.
Today, we're featuring CHRISTOPHER LE MON, founder of strategic consulting firm Boulder Bridge Global who served as a deputy assistant secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor during the Biden administration. Le Mon tells us he's partial to a porter when he imbibes and named Black Butte, Right Proper Brewing's Häxan and Deschutes as his go-tos.
'Today, given the outrageous RIFs at State of my former colleagues, I'm pouring one out for the talent and commitment in DRL and across the department that the Trump administration is showing the door,' Le Mon said.
We suspect you won't be alone this weekend, Christopher.
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Keystrokes
CYBERCOM 'CHAOS': First-term Rep. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-Va.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee's cyber panel, is on the hunt for answers on whether the agency briefly paused operations involving Russia earlier this year — and if so, why.
Vindman told our colleague Maggie Miller in today's Morning Cybersecurity (for Pros!) that he's worried by what he labeled 'chaos' at the command, which has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since Trump fired commander Gen. TIMOTHY HAUGH in April and has seen a departure of top talent.
'It's a tremendous amount of chaos and disorder throughout the department, throughout the national security establishment, the cuts to personnel, the lack of coordination on mission,' Vindman said.
Defense Secretary PETE HEGSETH denied this occurred when he testified at House Armed Services. But Cyber Subcommittee Chair DON BACON (R-Neb.) said during a subcommittee hearing in May that he looked into the issue and confirmed there had been a one-day pause, which he called 'typical for negotiations.'
The Complex
SERVICES MAKE THEIR LISTS: The military services and combatant commands have outlined more than $48 billion in priorities that didn't make the cut for the Pentagon's budget request.
The lists of unfunded priorities, which comes as lawmakers advance their annual defense spending and policy bills, show how the military would spend extra dollars and shape congressional additions to the final budget, our colleagues report in Morning Defense (for Pros!). This year's lists are especially striking, given the Trump administration's flat budget request — effectively a cut after inflation — relying on more than $150 billion from the GOP's megabill to boost spending.
More munitions are a top priority for many services. The Air Force's $10 billion list is led by $4.15 billion for munitions, such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's whopping $11.8 billion wish list includes nearly $1 billion to fund standoff weapons and maritime strike munitions to deter China.
The lists also propose funding to buy more aircraft. The Marine Corps is seeking more CH-53K King Stallions, F-35C fighters, KC-130Js and MQ-9A Reaper drones. And the National Guard has proposed over $1 billion for aircraft, including nine F-15EXs and six F-35s.
On the Hill
SENATORS MOVE TO RESTRICT TROOP REDUCTIONS: Bipartisan defense legislation approved this week by the Senate Armed Services Committee would throw up roadblocks should the Trump administration push to shrink the U.S. military footprint in Europe or on the Korean Peninsula.
The National Defense Authorization Act blocks a reduction in U.S. force posture in Europe, or giving up the role of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, until the Pentagon assesses the impact of those moves and certifies that doing so is in the national interest.
The pushback follows warnings from Senate Armed Services Chair ROGER WICKER (R-Miss.) and House Armed Services Chair MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.) against major shakeups to U.S. posture abroad without congressional buy-in, amid reports the Pentagon had eyed stepping back from NATO leadership in Europe and other moves. Rogers' version of the NDAA, set for a committee vote next week, also stymies a potential European drawdown.
The Senate defense bill also features similar restrictions on drawing down U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula or changing wartime operational control over the Combined Forces Command.
BUDGET BOOST: Senators also are using their defense policy bill to endorse a $32 billion hike to the defense budget, following through on criticism from Wicker and other defense hawks that the Trump administration's plan — keeping the Pentagon budget static while relying on $150 billion from Republicans' megabill to boost military programs — isn't enough to modernize and keep pace with China.
That sets up a clash with the House, where GOP leaders stuck to the administration's overarching defense budget plans in both their NDAA and appropriations bill. Though the Senate Armed Services move is a key signal of support for more Pentagon funding, appropriators, who actually provide the money, will need to follow suit. There's a decent chance Sen. MITCH McCONNELL (R-Ky.), who now chairs the Senate Defense Appropriations panel and has criticized Trump's defense budget, will follow suit in his own bill.
Broadsides
DRAGGED AWAY: A prominent conservative group is praising the Pentagon for pulling Rear Adm. MICHAEL DONNELLY's promotion to vice admiral amid criticism of drag shows held aboard the USS Ronald Reagan during his command.
The move came after Hegseth withdrew Donnelly's nomination in mid-June to lead the Navy's 7th Fleet, based in Japan, following his Senate confirmation. The Pentagon has said Hegseth is seeking a replacement for the key Pacific command. It's the latest example of the Trump administration's efforts to root out any overtures to the LGBTQ+ community within the ranks of the U.S. military.
DOD Watch Executive Director NICOLE KIPRILOV called the decision 'a positive development,' accusing Donnelly of allowing 'sanctioned drag shows (with cash prizes)' that undermined military professionalism. Kiprilov is a Republican operative and strategist, and the group describes itself as dedicated to highlighting 'woke' trends and seeking a return to what it calls traditional values.
'The U.S. military is not a stage for political or cultural experimentation,' Kiprilov said in a statement. 'Commanders will be held responsible for promoting activities that compromise the dignity and mission focus of our warfighting institutions.'
Donnelly is a veteran naval flight officer and former commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, with decades of operational and policy experience. Criticism of Donnelly's leadership surfaced in conservative circles after a 2018 NBC News story spotlighted a sailor who performed in drag aboard the carrier as part of morale-boosting events.
The Pentagon declined to explain its rationale for withdrawing Donnelly.
Transitions
— The Washington Post is adding TARA COPP as a Pentagon correspondent and NOAH ROBERTSON to cover congressional national security committees. Copp was most recently a national security reporter at the AP. Robertson most recently was a Pentagon correspondent for Defense News.
— Career diplomat JULIE EADEH is tipped to be next U.S. consul-general in Hong Kong, per the South China Morning Post. Eadeh met with pro-democracy activists in 2019, in an episode which was used by pro-Beijing actors to substantiate claims of 'foreign powers' at work in the territory during protests at the time.
What to Read
— Patrick Kingsley, Ronen Bergman and Natan Odenheimer, The New York Times: How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power
— Courtney Albon, Defense News: Hegseth calls for extensive reforms to Pentagon drone-buying practices
— Jessica Donati, Reuters: How a U.S. mission to push a Trump deal in Congo unravelled
Monday Today
— The Hudson Institute, 3:30 p.m.: Next Steps in US-China Great Power Competition with the House Republican Policy Committee
— House Rules Committee, 4 p.m.: Meeting on Fiscal 2026 Defense Appropriations Bill
Thanks to our editors, Heidi Vogt and Emily Lussier, who cause 'a tremendous amount of chaos and disorder' for this newsletter.