State Department, layoffs and reorganization plan
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State Department, Trump
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The department says the cuts, part of a reorganization that will see 3,000 total personnel reductions, will slash redundancy and walk back growth over the last 25 years.
No State Department official publicly said when the first notices for the planned layoffs would be sent, but the widespread expectation is for the terminations to start as soon as Friday.
The State Department began firing more than 1,350 U.S.-based employees on Friday as the administration of President Donald Trump presses ahead with an unprecedented overhaul of its diplomatic corps, a move critics say will undermine U.S. ability to defend and promote U.S. interests abroad.
A rally is expected, with supporters “clapping out” departing State Department employees and protesting the layoffs at 4 p.m. Friday.
Employees of the U.S. State Department could receive a layoff notice via email very soon as part of the Trump administration's plan to downsize the government.
Live updates and the latest news as President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour the Texas flood devastation and the U.S. prepares to impose blanket tariffs on trading partners.
The State Department has formally advised staffers that it will be sending layoff notices to some of them soon.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists he is streamlining a bloated department, but critics warn the cost to America’s standing and influence could be high.