Layoffs follow Supreme Court greenlight as Secretary Rubio vows to eliminate waste and refocus diplomacy
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department began issuing layoff notices Friday to more than 1,300 employees as part of a sweeping reorganization effort ordered by President Donald Trump and implemented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, 1,107 civil servants and nearly 250 foreign service officers based within the United States are being let go. Foreign service employees impacted will be placed on 120 days of administrative leave before their terminations become official.
The layoffs follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s 8–1 decision earlier this week allowing the Trump administration to proceed with federal workforce reductions. The justices said they were not ruling on the legality of any specific reorganization, clearing the way for widespread changes.
“In connection with the departmental reorganization … the department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,” the notice stated. It described the layoffs as “carefully tailored” to impact only non-core functions, duplicative offices, and areas where consolidation could improve efficiency.
Secretary Rubio first previewed the changes in April, calling the agency “bloated” and “unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission” under its existing structure.
“Today is the day,” Rubio said in a statement. “Under @POTUS’ leadership and at my direction, we are reversing decades of bloat and bureaucracy at the State Department. These sweeping changes will empower our talented diplomats to put America and Americans first.”
According to Rubio, the overhaul will consolidate region-specific functions, eliminate redundant offices, and discontinue non-statutory programs “misaligned with America’s core national interests.”
A report from Reuters noted that the department initially expected to finish the reorganization by July but delayed the cuts while awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision. With that legal hurdle now cleared, the reductions are moving forward at full speed.
Officials said additional departures are expected through voluntary buyout programs launched earlier this year. As many as 1,575 employees had already indicated plans to leave the department voluntarily.
The changes affect more than 300 offices and bureaus across the State Department’s domestic footprint, which currently employs around 18,730 personnel.
A video report from WUSA 9 highlighted the scope of the reorganization and the Trump administration’s push to reduce what it calls “government waste.”