State Department tells staffers that layoff notices are coming soon
[July 11, 2025]
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department formally advised staffers
Thursday that it would be sending layoff notices to some of them soon,
coming as part of dramatic changes to the agency that the Trump
administration announced earlier this year.
The workforce cuts and reorganization of the country’s diplomatic corps
are part of a wider administration effort to reduce the size of the
federal government that has been largely carried out by the Department
of Government Efficiency, formerly led by Elon Musk.
A recent ruling by the Supreme Court cleared the way for the layoffs to
start, while lawsuits challenging the legality of the cuts continue to
play out. Critics say the scale of cuts floated at the State Department
would lessen U.S. influence globally and make it hard for many offices
to carry out their missions.
Michael Rigas, the department's deputy secretary for management and
resources, said in a statement that select staffers would be informed if
they were being laid off and called it part of the department’s biggest
reorganization in decades.
“Soon, the Department will be communicating to individuals affected by
the reduction in force. First and foremost, we want to thank them for
their dedication and service to the United States,” he said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many people would be dismissed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials took “a very deliberate
step to reorganize the State Department to be more efficient and more
focused.”
“It’s not a consequence of trying to get rid of people. But if you close
the bureau, you don’t need those positions," he told reporters in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, where he's attending the annual Association of
Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. "Understand that some of these
are positions that are being eliminated, not people.”
He said some of the cuts will be unfilled positions or those that are
about to be vacant because an employee took an early retirement.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing
during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting and related
meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2025.
(Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)
In late May, the State Department notified Congress of an updated
reorganization plan, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had been
revealed earlier by Rubio as well as an 18% reduction of staff in
the U.S., even higher than the 15% initially floated in April.
Rigas' statement said the department is aiming to “focus resources
on policy priorities and eliminate redundant functions, empowering
our people while increasing accountability.”
The State Department is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked
with oversight of America’s two-decade involvement in Afghanistan,
including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who
worked alongside the U.S. military. It also intends to eliminate
programs related to refugees and immigration, as well as human
rights and democracy promotion.
The American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents
diplomats, urged the State Department last month to hold off on job
cuts.
Notices for a reduction in force, which would not only lay off
employees but eliminate positions altogether, “should be a last
resort,” association President Tom Yazdgerdi said. “Disrupting the
Foreign Service like this puts national interests at risk — and
Americans everywhere will bear the consequences.”
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