State Department is firing more than 1,300 employees in downsizing plan

The move has come under strong criticism from current and former diplomats who say the cuts will degrade America’s standing in the world and curb U.S. soft power

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The State Department is firing more than 1,300 employees via email on Friday as a part of the Trump administration’s plans to downsize government and cut back on “bloat.” The move has come under strong criticism from current and former diplomats who say the cuts will degrade America’s standing in the world and curb U.S. soft power. The department is sending layoff notices to more than 1,100 civil servants and 240 Foreign Service employees, according to an internal notice obtained by The Washington Post. Foreign Service officers will lose their jobs 120 days after they receive the notice and be placed on administrative leave during the interim period, the notice says. The separation period for most civil servants is 60 days.

Michael Rigas, the deputy secretary of state for management and resources, told staff on Thursday, July 10, that “every effort has been made to support our colleagues who are departing.” But uncertainty over the status of the plan has badly impacted morale at the department, with some of the workforce exasperated and embittered with the plans to fire people at a time when many were asked to work additional hours to assist U.S. citizens seeking to flee the Middle East amid Israel’s war with Iran.

One State Department employee, speaking like some others on the condition of anonymity to avoid professional reprisal, told The Post last month that the push exposed how the department’s leadership “either doesn’t appreciate or just doesn’t care” about its workforce.