State Department Staff Laid Off

AFP/APP

Washington: The Trump administration has begun a major reduction of the US diplomatic workforce, laying off more than 1,300 State Department employees in a move officials say is aimed at streamlining government but critics warn could weaken Washington’s ability to respond to global crises.

The cuts announced Friday affected 1,107 civil service employees and 246 Foreign Service officers, according to a senior State Department official.

The dismissals followed a Supreme Court decision earlier this week that allowed the administration to move ahead with a broader federal workforce reduction after lifting a lower court order that had temporarily blocked the plan.

At the State Department headquarters in Washington, departing employees were met by emotional scenes as colleagues applauded, embraced and said goodbye. Some staff members left carrying boxes containing their personal belongings.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the restructuring, arguing that the department is too large and cumbersome and needs to reduce its workforce by around 15 percent.

The administration has presented the wider downsizing campaign as an effort to eliminate what President Donald Trump describes as an oversized federal bureaucracy. Trump has also pledged to dismantle what he calls the “deep state” and has pursued significant changes across government agencies since returning to office in January.

The layoffs have drawn sharp criticism from diplomats and former officials, who argue that cutting experienced personnel could leave the United States less prepared to manage international crises.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which represents US diplomats and State Department employees, said the reductions came at a particularly difficult time, citing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and growing challenges to the international order.

The State Department employed more than 80,000 people worldwide last year, including roughly 17,700 domestic employees. The administration has already substantially dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of its broader restructuring of foreign assistance.

Employees were reportedly notified of their dismissals by email. Foreign Service officers will initially be placed on administrative leave and formally separated after 120 days, while civil service employees are scheduled to leave after 60 days.

Former State Department spokesperson Ned Price criticised the process, arguing that employees were being dismissed based largely on their assignments rather than a meaningful assessment of performance.

Former ambassador Barbara Leaf, who served as a senior Middle East diplomat under President Joe Biden, also warned that the cuts could have serious national security consequences.

The latest dismissals are expected to form part of a much larger federal workforce reduction as the Trump administration continues its effort to reshape the US government, leaving questions about how the downsizing will affect America’s diplomatic capacity overseas.