The US State Department has begun mass layoffs of its employees as part of a campaign to drastically reduce the federal government apparatus announced by President Donald Trump.
According to a senior department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, layoff notices began to be sent to 1,107 civilian employees and 246 members of the Foreign Service, the Associated Press wrote.
The decision came three days after the US Supreme Court, dominated by conservative justices, gave the green light to the Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs of government workers, overturning a temporary injunction previously imposed by a lower court.
According to The Washington Post, State Department employees are being notified of their layoffs via email and placed on administrative leave immediately afterwards. Foreign Service employees will be officially terminated 120 days after receiving the notice, while civilian employees will be terminated in 60 days.
While President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their Republican allies have called the cuts necessary to make the department more flexible and efficient, they have been sharply criticised by current and former diplomats who argue the changes will weaken US influence and ability to counter threats abroad.
The American Foreign Service Association condemned the developments, calling the firing a “catastrophic blow to US national interests” at a “moment of great global instability”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a major restructuring of the department in late April. In social network X he published an article in which he mentioned plans to cut up to 15% of the staff.