US State Department to Lay Off Over 1,300 Diplomats and Civil Servants Under Trump Administration Plan
The U.S. State Department is set to lay off more than 1,300 diplomats and civil servants as part of a sweeping reorganisation plan launched by President Donald Trump’s administration earlier this year, according to an Associated Press report. The move, which has sparked both praise and criticism, reflects a broader effort to downsize the federal workforce and streamline government operations.
On Friday, a senior State Department official announced that 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers stationed within the U.S. will receive layoff notices. According to an internal memo cited by AP, the affected Foreign Service officers will be placed on administrative leave for 120 days before their formal separation from service. Civil servants, meanwhile, will go through a 60-day separation process.
The internal notice justifying the layoffs stated, “In connection with the departmental reorganisation… the department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities.” It added that the headcount reductions target “non-core functions, duplicative or redundant offices, and offices where considerable efficiencies may be found from centralisation or consolidation of functions and responsibilities.”
Supporters of the move, including President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other Republican leaders, argue that the cuts are long overdue and necessary to create a more agile and efficient department. They contend that a leaner State Department will be better positioned to execute core diplomatic missions without the burden of bureaucratic inefficiencies.
However, the decision has drawn strong backlash from current and former diplomats, who warn that slashing such a significant portion of experienced personnel could weaken the United States’ diplomatic reach and hinder its ability to respond to global crises. Critics argue that gutting critical staff undermines institutional knowledge and will reduce the country’s effectiveness in foreign policy and international negotiations.
The layoffs come on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that approved the Trump administration’s broader efforts to restructure the federal bureaucracy. The ruling paves the way for further layoffs across various government agencies, raising concerns about long-term implications for public service capacity and governance.
