In one of the most sweeping shake-ups in U.S. foreign policy infrastructure in decades, the State Department is laying off more than 1,300 employees as part of a broad reorganization ordered by the Trump administration, an effort that critics say will diminish America’s diplomatic reach and weaken its global leadership.
Layoff notices began going out Friday to 1,107 civil servants and 246 domestic-based foreign service officers, according to a senior department official who spoke anonymously ahead of the official notifications. Affected foreign service officers will be placed on 120 days of administrative leave, while most civil servants will have a 60-day transition period before separation, per an internal notice obtained by The Associated Press.
“In connection with the departmental reorganization … the department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,” the memo reads. “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.”
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Lauded by President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and GOP allies as a necessary reset to eliminate inefficiencies and modernize diplomacy, the cuts are being denounced by former diplomats and international affairs experts who say the move will cripple U.S. capacity to handle crises and respond to rising global threats.
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The dismissals follow a recent Supreme Court ruling that greenlit the restructuring, though legal challenges remain unresolved. Last week, the department informed employees that layoffs were imminent, sparking concern across Washington and among diplomatic circles abroad.
The timing and scale of the job cuts have fueled alarm, especially after the recent absorption of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) into the State Department. The six-decade-old agency, long a cornerstone of U.S. foreign assistance, was folded into the department after the Trump administration drastically cut its funding.
“This will seriously undermine the ability of our government to understand, explain, and respond to a complex and increasingly contested world,” warned the American Academy of Diplomacy, a nonpartisan group made up of hundreds of former senior diplomats. The group released a statement condemning the layoffs just days before the plan was implemented.
The administration has made no secret of its broader ambitions to shrink government and refocus resources. From dismantling USAID to eyeing cuts to the Education Department, President Trump’s government-wide restructuring has aimed to eliminate what it views as bloated bureaucracies.
According to department records shared with Congress in May, the State Department employed just over 18,700 U.S.-based staff. The current reorganization seeks to slash that figure by 18%, a deeper cut than the 15% initially proposed. These reductions will be achieved through layoffs, voluntary departures, and deferred resignations.
Rubio defended the plan while speaking to reporters during a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. “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 said. “Understand that some of these are positions that are being eliminated, not people.”
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He emphasized that many of the roles being cut are already vacant or are expected to be vacated soon due to retirements. “Officials took a very deliberate step to reorganize the State Department to be more efficient and more focused,” Rubio added.
But critics argue that the administration’s approach fails to value expertise or institutional knowledge. Gordon Duguid, a veteran diplomat who served under three presidents, warned of dangerous consequences.
“They’re doing it without any consideration of the worth of the individual people who are being fired,” said Duguid. “They’re not looking for people who have the expertise … they just want people who say, ‘OK, how high’” to jump. He added, “that’s a recipe for disaster.”
Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Michael Rigas said in a memo Thursday that once layoffs are completed, the department will shift toward implementing a “results-driven diplomacy” model.
Among the divisions being dismantled are those overseeing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, including a bureau focused on resettling Afghans who assisted American military forces. The updated reorganization plan submitted to Congress notes that more than 300 offices and bureaus will be affected.
The plan also targets programs dealing with refugees, human rights, immigration, and democracy promotion, areas the Trump administration considers “ideologically driven” and at odds with its diplomatic priorities. According to the letter, Rubio believes that “effective modern diplomacy requires streamlining this bloated bureaucracy.”
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