US State Department to begin mass layoffs within days
The contract termination notices will start being sent out by e-mail 'in the coming days,' the Washington Post wrote on Friday, citing a recent internal memo from US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas.
The number of terminations is expected to be 'pretty close' to the roughly 1,800 layoffs proposed by the State Department to Congress in May, CBS News wrote on Friday, citing a senior official. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously stated that an additional 1,500 staff members had accepted early retirement buyouts.
According to the top diplomat, the State Department has become 'bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission.'
The cuts, planned months ago, are taking place just days after the US Supreme Court swept aside legal opposition to the president's broader effort to downside the government across multiple agencies.
Trump kicked off the waste-cutting effort a month after taking office, with the initiative being led by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Until last month, the department was led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who stepped down following public backlash against DOGE policies and growing disagreements with the president. Prior to his resignation, Musk had reportedly clashed with several members of the administration, including Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Relations between Musk and Trump soured last month when Musk opposed the president's Big Beautiful Bill, calling it a 'disgusting abomination' and accusing it of worsening the budget deficit. The bill, which was approved by Congress last week, raises the unprecedented $36.1 trillion US debt ceiling by an additional $5 trillion.
A tense power struggle between Musk and Trump loyalists is reportedly underway in DOGE. Staff have been questioned behind closed doors about their allegiances, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
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