Latest news with #reorganization
E&E News
a day ago
- Business
- E&E News
EPA resumes internal reshuffle planning
EPA is proceeding with some aspects of its reshuffling following a court order freezing reorganization and layoff plans. That includes some program managers continuing interviews with staffers — primarily in the agency's research office — who applied for reassignments to other offices, according to an internal email shared with POLITICO's E&E News. 'EPA is complying with the court's preliminary injunction,' the agency's press office said in response to questions about resuming reassignment interviews. 'In line with the court's order and guidance received by the Department of Justice, EPA is moving forward with only reorganization planning activities.' Advertisement A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued on May 22 a sweeping injunction that put a pause on dozens of agencies' reorganization or reduction-in-force plans, declaring such plans require authorization from Congress before continuing. The government has appealed the ruling.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
State Department planning to shrink U.S. staff by 3,400 in massive reorganization
The State Department is planning a sweeping reorganization of its bureaus and U.S. staff, with around 3,400 jobs eliminated and almost half of its domestic offices closed or consolidated in the coming months, the department told lawmakers Thursday, according to documents obtained by CBS News. The plans were previewed by senior State Department officials last month and are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to slash the size of the federal government. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the department — which employs tens of thousands of domestic staff in addition to foreign service workers at embassies and consulates — "bloated" and "bureaucratic." The department aims to reduce its domestic workforce by up to 3,448 personnel, it said in a more than 130-page notification submitted to Congress — affecting around 18% of its existing staff. That includes 1,873 workers who could be cut through layoffs, or reductions-in-force, and another 1,575 who have indicated they would leave voluntarily. The cuts do not affect U.S.-based staff responsible for issuing passports and visas, or diplomatic security agents, the plan to Congress, marked "sensitive but unclassified," said. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a briefing with reporters on Thursday that the changes were the result of "thoughtful and deliberative" work by senior department leadership that took into account feedback from long-serving employees. "The reorganization plan will result in a more agile Department, better equipped to promote America's interests and keep Americans safe across the world," Rubio said in a statement. The reorganization should be "largely concluded by July 1," with staff notified before then if their position is eliminated, the State Department told its workforce in a frequently-asked-questions document also obtained by CBS News. Staff were told to make sure their personal contact information was up to date. Meanwhile, around 45% of offices within the State Department could be merged or eliminated altogether, according to an executive summary sent internally to staffers Thursday and obtained by CBS News. Some departments focused on democracy and human rights will be scrapped or consolidated, with the report to Congress describing some of those offices as "prone to ideological capture and radicalism." A new senior job will be added focused on "Democracy & Western Values," with offices focused on "civil liberties" and "free market principles." Offices that handle migration issues will be "substantially reorganized" to focus on "supporting the Administration's efforts to return illegal aliens to their country of origin or legal status," the congressional notification says. Some of the offices within the State Department's regional bureaus will also be merged. For example, Russia Affairs and the Caucasus will merge into one office within the Europe bureau, Haiti and Caribbean Affairs will become one within the Western Hemisphere bureau, and Iran and Iraq Affairs will merge within the Near East Asia bureau. The plan also eliminates a program that was tasked with helping relocate Afghans who assisted U.S. military personnel during the war in Afghanistan, a move that drew sharp criticism from veterans' groups. "This is not administrative streamlining," said Shawn VanDiver, the founder of nonprofit AfghanEvac, in a statement. "This is a betrayal." In an internal frequently-asked-questions document obtained by CBS News, the State Department told employees many of the offices that are slated to be shut down will still see their core responsibilities moved elsewhere. "Just because your office does not appear on the new organizational chart does not necessarily mean you will be receiving a [reduction-in-force] notification," the FAQ also read. The administration has sought to shutter most of the U.S. Agency for International Development, cancelling many of its programs and folding most of its remaining foreign aid duties into the State Department. That plan has drawn pushback from Democrats who argue the moves were not authorized by Congress. "Taken together, these moves significantly undercut America's role in the world and open the door for adversaries to threaten our safety and prosperity," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, respectively. "We welcome reforms where needed, but they must be done with a scalpel, not a chain saw."
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
State Department notifies Congress of reorganization plan with bigger cuts to programs and staff
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of State and related programs on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) WASHINGTON — The State Department on Thursday notified Congress of an updated reorganization of the massive agency, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had previously been revealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a steeper 18 per cent reduction of staff in the U.S. The planned changes, detailed in a notification letter obtained by The Associated Press, reflect the Trump administration's push to reshape American diplomacy and scale back the size of the federal government. The proposal includes an even higher reduction of domestic staff than the 15 per cent initially floated in April. The department also is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with oversight of America's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military. The letter sent to Congress by the State Department notes that the reorganization will affect more than 300 bureaus and offices 'to refocus on core U.S. foreign policy objectives and the needs of contemporary diplomacy.' The department says it's eliminating offices it describes as doing unclear or overlapping work and that Rubio 'believes that effective modern diplomacy requires streamlining this bloated bureaucracy.' The document is clear that the reorganization also is intended to eliminate programs, particularly those related to refugees and immigration as well as human rights and democracy promotion, that the Trump administration believes have become ideologically driven in a way that is incompatible with its priorities and policies. It says, without evidence, that such offices 'have proven themselves prone to ideological capture and radicalism.' Some of the bureaus set to be cut include the Office of Global Women's Issues and the State Department's diversity and inclusion efforts, which have been eliminated government-wide under Trump. The letter says the women's issues office is being eliminated to 'ensure that promoting women's rights and empowerment is a priority across the full scope of the Department's diplomatic engagement.' Efforts to cut the department's Afghan programs received immediate backlash from veterans groups and advocates who have spent the last three and a half years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan working to resettle and integrate Afghans into life in the U.S. 'This is not streamlining,' said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac. 'This is deliberate dismantling.' CARE, which stands for the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, was created in October 2021 in the aftermath of the withdrawal. The office was designed to help Afghans, like interpreters who aided the U.S. military, who were eligible for resettlement in the U.S. due to their work helping America during the war. The State Department notification says its work will be 'realigned' to the Afghanistan Affairs Office. Over time, CARE was credited with streamlining visa and immigration processes that many people helping Afghans and Iraqis, who benefited from similar resettlement programs, said were overly bureaucratic, opaque and left at-risk Afghans waiting for far too long on programs specifically intended to help them. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision authorizing the CARE office for three years, but ever since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, concerns have loomed over the office's future. 'Eliminating it — without public explanation, transition planning, or reaffirmation of mission — is a profound betrayal of American values and promises,' VanDiver added. Farnoush Amiri, Matthew Lee And Rebecca Santana, The Associated Press
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
State Department notifies Congress of reorganization plan with bigger cuts to programs and staff
WASHINGTON — The State Department on Thursday notified Congress of an updated reorganization of the massive agency, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had previously been revealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a steeper 18% reduction of staff in the U.S. The planned changes, detailed in a notification letter obtained by The Associated Press, reflect the Trump administration's push to reshape American diplomacy and scale back the size of the federal government.
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
State Department notifies Congress of reorganization plan with bigger cuts to programs and staff
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Thursday notified Congress of an updated reorganization of the massive agency, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had previously been revealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a steeper 18% reduction of staff in the U.S. The planned changes, detailed in a notification letter obtained by The Associated Press, reflect the Trump administration's push to reshape American diplomacy and scale back the size of the federal government. The proposal includes an even higher reduction of domestic staff than the 15% initially floated in April. The department also is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with oversight of America's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military. The letter sent to Congress by the State Department notes that the reorganization will affect more than 300 bureaus and offices 'to refocus on core U.S. foreign policy objectives and the needs of contemporary diplomacy.' The department says it's eliminating offices it describes as doing unclear or overlapping work and that Rubio 'believes that effective modern diplomacy requires streamlining this bloated bureaucracy.' The document is clear that the reorganization also is intended to eliminate programs, particularly those related to refugees and immigration as well as human rights and democracy promotion, that the Trump administration believes have become ideologically driven in a way that is incompatible with its priorities and policies. It says, without evidence, that such offices 'have proven themselves prone to ideological capture and radicalism.' Some of the bureaus set to be cut include the Office of Global Women's Issues and the State Department's diversity and inclusion efforts, which have been eliminated government-wide under Trump. The letter says the women's issues office is being eliminated to 'ensure that promoting women's rights and empowerment is a priority across the full scope of the Department's diplomatic engagement.' Efforts to cut the department's Afghan programs received immediate backlash from veterans groups and advocates who have spent the last three and a half years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan working to resettle and integrate Afghans into life in the U.S. 'This is not streamlining,' said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac. 'This is deliberate dismantling.' CARE, which stands for the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, was created in October 2021 in the aftermath of the withdrawal. The office was designed to help Afghans, like interpreters who aided the U.S. military, who were eligible for resettlement in the U.S. due to their work helping America during the war. The State Department notification says its work will be 'realigned' to the Afghanistan Affairs Office. Over time, CARE was credited with streamlining visa and immigration processes that many people helping Afghans and Iraqis, who benefited from similar resettlement programs, said were overly bureaucratic, opaque and left at-risk Afghans waiting for far too long on programs specifically intended to help them. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision authorizing the CARE office for three years, but ever since President Donald Trump took office, concerns have loomed over the office's future. 'Eliminating it — without public explanation, transition planning, or reaffirmation of mission — is a profound betrayal of American values and promises,' VanDiver added.
