State Department is firing over 1,300 employees under Trump administration plan
The department is sending layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers with domestic assignments in the United States, said a senior State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters ahead of individual notices being emailed to affected employees.
Foreign service officers affected will be placed immediately on administrative leave for 120 days, after which they will formally lose their jobs, according to an internal notice obtained by The Associated Press. For most affected civil servants, the separation period is 60 days, it said.
'In connection with the departmental reorganization … the department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,' the notice says. 'Headcount reductions have been carefully tailored to affect non-core functions, duplicative or redundant offices, and offices where considerable efficiencies may be found from centralization or consolidation of functions and responsibilities.'
While lauded by President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their Republican allies as overdue and necessary to make the department leaner, more nimble and more efficient, the cuts have been roundly criticized by current and former diplomats who say they will weaken U.S. influence and its ability to counter existing and emerging threats abroad.
The Trump administration has pushed to reshape American diplomacy and worked aggressively to shrink the size of the federal government, including mass dismissals as part of moves to dismantle whole departments like the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Education Department.
A recent ruling by the Supreme Court cleared the way for the layoffs to start, while lawsuits challenging the legality of the cuts continue to play out. The department had formally advised staffers on Thursday that it would be sending layoff notices to some of them soon. The job cuts are large but considerably less than many had feared.
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 Thursday 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.
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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
China steps in as US pulls back from diplomacy, report says
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -China is increasing its diplomatic reach as President Donald Trump's administration pares back America's international presence, Democrats from the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a report released on Monday. The report, the result of months of staff travel and research, was released as the Trump administration makes deep cuts to the State Department, including beginning on Friday to fire more than 1,350 U.S.-based employees, part of a total reduction of nearly 3,000 people for the U.S.-based workforce. The administration has also cut billions of dollars in foreign aid, effectively shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, leading to the firing of thousands of its employees and contractors. Critics said the cuts would undermine Washington's ability to defend and promote U.S. interests abroad. Research published in The Lancet medical journal said the cuts to USAID and its dismantling could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030. The Trump administration says its changes help align foreign policy with Trump's "America First" agenda, and are part of a push to shrink the federal bureaucracy and cut what Trump officials say has been wasteful spending. The Democrats' 91-page report listed ways, from broadcasting to health programs and development efforts, that committee researchers said China is expanding its influence. "China is pursuing a clear vision for the international order while the Trump Administration seeks to diminish America's engagement globally," the report said. It lists dozens of cases in which the committee researchers found that China had stepped in as the U.S. eliminated or cut back international programs, from funding vaccines and providing food to infrastructure development. For example, in Africa, as the U.S. terminated food assistance programs, China in March donated $2 million in rice to Uganda. In May, after the U.S. terminated a $37 million HIV/AIDS grant in Zambia, China said it would help the African nation fight HIV/AIDS, including by donating 500,000 rapid HIV testing kits and planning more meetings to discuss its continued partnership on the issue. In Southeast Asia, Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on a tour to meet with leaders in Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, the report said. The trip yielded an agreement in Vietnam for railroad connections, 37 cooperation agreements in Cambodia in sectors including energy, education and infrastructure and technical and manufacturing exchanges in Malaysia. And in Latin America, China in May hosted the "China-Latin American and the Caribbean Forum" and announced it would provide a $9 billion credit line and additional infrastructure investments for the region.
Business Insider
31 minutes ago
- Business Insider
3 tips for investors to navigate the market with tariff volatility set to persist
Donald Trump reignited the trade war last week with a flurry of fresh tariff updates, and investors are eyeing another stretch of volatility in markets as a result. With the July 9 deadline extended to August 1, the road ahead is uncertain. Will Trump pivot and once again validate the TACO trade, or will markets end up with a much higher tariff rate than expected? Trump has announced plans for 30% tariffs on goods imported from both the European Union (EU) and Mexico, expected to take effect on August 1. He's also said Canada would be subject to 35% tariffs, and Japan and South Korea tariffs would be set at 25%. "It is possible that the White House will only back away from its latest threats if the market falls," Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, CIO of Americas and Global Head of Equities at UBS, said in a note on Monday. "We have been advising investors to take steps to bolster the resilience of their portfolios against this uncertain backdrop." UBS had a few tips for investors to steer through the uncertainty that's likely still ahead. First, the bank recommends investors"phase into equities." While UBS predicts that clarity on economic policy and monetary easing from the federal reserve could push markets higher in 2026, it predicts that growth will be limited this year. Therefore, rather than rushing into the stock market, investors should think about "building exposure gradually and taking advantage of pockets of volatility." The note highlighted growth potential in US sectors such as technology, healthcare, and financial services, as well as select Asian markets, including Taiwan, India and mainland China. Second, investors should focus on mitigating policy risks. One time-tested way to hedge the wider uncertain is to allocate some money to gold. "We believe a midsingle-digit percentage allocation to gold in a USD portfolio can diversify and hedge against political risk and inflation," the note said. Finally, investors should focus on the long-term opportunities. For investors seeking long-term investment opportunities, UBS reiterated the growth potential it sees in artificial intelligence, power and resources, and human longevity. It maintains that these areas are backed by ongoing trends and are well-positioned to withstand any short-term swings. In the note, the analysts highlighted the "global profit pools" that they believe have resulted from AI, energy infrastructure, and healthcare, reshaping entire industries in ways that set these sectors up for long-term growth.
New York Post
31 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump claims ‘not sure we need' bipartisan sanctions bill against Russia
WASHINGTON — President Trump publicly doubted Monday that he will approve a bipartisan sanctions bill meant to ratchet up economic pressure on Russia to end its bloody war on Ukraine. 'I'm not sure we need it,' Trump quipped during an Oval Office meeting with NATO boss Mark Rutte. 'It could be very useful, we will have to see.' The Senate bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), would put 500% tariffs on purchasers of Russian energy — including uranium, gas and oil. 'The 500% is sort of meaningless after a while because at a certain point it doesn't matter,' the president added. 'I don't know what they're going to end up with.' The measure is intended to squeeze Russia at a time when Moscow's economy minister has warned that the country is at risk of facing a recession. Trump's team has been negotiating with the Senate over details of the package, pressing for more flexibility for the president to potentially waive the tariffs during negotiations with the Russians. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) was scheduled to meet with Trump later Monday to discuss the pending measure.
