US State Department starts firing over 1,350 workers in Trump shake-up
The ‘America First’ overhaul comes as Washington grapples with wars in Ukraine and Gaza, Israel-Iran tensions and China’s growing influence
The US State Department began firing more than 1,350 US-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 America's ability to defend and promote its interests abroad.
The lay-offs, which affect 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers based in the United States, come at a time when Washington is grappling with multiple crises on the world stage: Russia’s war in Ukraine, the almost two-year-long Gaza conflict, and the Middle East on edge due to high tension between Israel and Iran.
“The department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,” an internal State Department notice that was sent to the workforce said. “Headcount reductions have been carefully tailored to affect noncore functions, duplicative or redundant offices, and offices where considerable efficiencies may be found,” it added.
The total reduction in the workforce will be nearly 3,000 including the voluntary departures, according to the notice and a senior State Department official, out of the 18,000 employees based in the United States.
The move is the first step of a restructuring that Trump has sought to ensure US foreign policy is aligned with his “America First” agenda. Former diplomats and critics say the firing of foreign service officers risks the United States’ ability to counter the growing assertiveness from adversaries such as China and Russia.
“President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio are once again making America less safe and less secure,” Democratic senator Tim Kaine from Virginia said in a statement.