(C): Twitter
Last updated on July 21st, 2025 at 06:29 am
The Trump government has started dismissing over 1,350 officials of the State Department as part of a massive makeover of the American foreign service. The layoff involves not only civil service employees, but also foreign service officers in the US, which is one of the most colossal alterations taking place in the State Department in the recent past.
Layoffs occur during the difficult period when the United States has to deal with national issues, such as the war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, and increased hostilities against countries such as China and Russia. The critics believe that such layoffs by the State Department may hamper the capability of America to address international challenges capably.
Why the Trump Administration is Cutting State Department Jobs
According to the Trump administration, such layoffs will be conducted at the State Department to streamline and focus the department. In an internal memo to employees, the department seeks to cut its internal operations in the country as it seeks to concentrate on its diplomatic priorities.
The job reductions touted by the officials are said to focus on non-essential functions, duplication of offices and departments, so that the department will be more efficient in the company. The overall number of jobs being cut is almost 3,000 individuals, inclusive to the employees taking voluntary leaves, out of 18,000 people working within the United States.
President Trump has been proclaiming to cut the federal government since his days in the primary elections, and he has insisted on cutting down on so-called wasteful spending. This diplomatic redirection is part of his America First agenda to transform the course of foreign policy of the United States.
This State Department restructuring is planned by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, an appointee of Trump, in April. The existing department is unreformed and bloated, and Rubio said it could not execute on its mission in the world of great power competition.
Emotional Scenes as Diplomats Leave Their Jobs
The State Department layoffs left some tearful scenes at the Washington-based agency. Police employees learned that their colleagues had been fired in dozens, met in the lobby, and clapped their colleagues out. They could see their friends as well as co-workers leave with boxes of their stuff, and many of them were seen crying.
Other employees who were outside the building joined the employees who were in the building, and they clapped and cheered those being laid off. Others carried banners that said, Thank you, American diplomats. Even democratic senator Chris Van Hollen went on the demonstration as a sign of support.
The building had special offices where the employees returned their badges, laptops, phones, and other possessions of government possessions. These offices were marked with the signboard saying Transition Day Out Processing, and they contained tissues and bottles of water for the workers who were leaving.
The five-page checklist indicated that the laid-off workers will not have access to the building as well as email by 5 p.m. on a Friday. Diplomatic overhaul also resulted in the firing of many workers in the office that dealt with the resettlement of the Afghan refugees.
Critics Say State Department Layoffs Weaken America’s Safety
The State Department would be severely reproached by democratic politicians and former diplomats over the layoffs. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine told the President and Secretary Rubio to constantly keep America and make it less safe and secure.
Kaine termed this move as ridiculous, as China is going out of its way to spread its diplomatic outlaw worldwide, Russia is still at war against Ukraine, and the Middle East is still in crisis mode. Critics have contended that this move to sack the veterans of the foreign services is damaging, and America stands to lose its stature in competing with its foes, such as China and Russia.
A similar thing happened with the U.S. Agency for International Development, which spent billions of dollars on aid around the globe and was folded under the State Department. This is one of the steps taken by Trump to smaller the federal bureaucracy.
The layoffs in the State Department were initially supposed to be completed earlier on the 1st of July, but the process was hit by legal battles. The top court has just given the green light to the Trump administration to go ahead with the reduction in jobs after issuing a judicial ruling intended to halt them. Such moves to renovate diplomacy are indicative of Trump’s vow to purge the state deep of unfaithful government employees who do not find themselves loyal to his cause.
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