“No surprise”: US State Department lays off more than 1,300 people
On Friday, July 11, the U.S. State Department launched its reorganization plan by laying off 1,300 of its employees. This was an expected decision, but one that risks weakening the United States' influence in the world, according to the American press.
More than 1,300 employees of the US State Department (the equivalent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) were notified of their layoffs via email on Friday, July 11. The decision comes as “no surprise,” observes the Washington Examiner . “The Trump administration has been cutting jobs across the federal government as part of a cost-saving initiative spearheaded by the Doge [the 'Department of Government Efficiency'].”
Last May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Congress of his intention to reduce the State Department by more than 15 percent, with the aim of reorganizing the services and eliminating what he considers a “bloated bureaucracy that stifles innovation and misallocates scarce resources.” He also stated that these changes would allow him to refocus his teams on core American values and eliminate elements sharing a “radical political ideology.”
“The State Department had about 80,000 employees [worldwide] in September, according to the latest available data,” USA Today reports . “That included about 14,000 Foreign Service officers and 13,000 civilian employees.”
The Assistant Secretary of State for G
Courrier International
