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State
Department
Fires
More
Than
1,300
Employees
in
Sweeping
Reorganization
Li
Haung -
National-Politics
Tell Us
USA News
Network
WASHINGTON,
D.C. –
The U.S.
State
Department
on
Friday
began
firing
more
than
1,300
employees
as part
of a
dramatic
reorganization
under
the
Trump
administration,
marking
one of
the most
significant
workforce
reductions
in the
agency's
history.
The
layoffs
affected
1,107
civil
service
employees
and 246
foreign
service
officers
based in
Washington,
D.C.,
according
to an
internal
notice
obtained
by
multiple
news
outlets.
The
dismissals
were
announced
via
email
while
Secretary
of State
Marco
Rubio
was
returning
from an
overseas
trip to
Malaysia.
Unprecedented
Overhaul
The
firings
are part
of a
broader
restructuring
effort
approved
by Rubio
on May
29.
Administration
officials
describe
the
initiative
as
necessary
to
eliminate
what
they
characterize
as a
"bloated
bureaucracy"
and
refocus
on Trump
administration
priorities.
The
terminated
employees
worked
on
issues
including
countering
violent
extremism,
assisting
Afghan
refugees,
educational
exchanges,
and
programs
related
to
women's
rights,
refugees,
and
climate
change.
Hundreds
of
offices
and
bureaus
are
being
eliminated
or
restructured.
Emotional
Departure
The
layoffs
were met
with an
emotional
response
from
State
Department
staff.
Notes of
support
appeared
throughout
the
Washington
headquarters
thanking
fired
employees
for
their
service,
while
some
signs
called
on
remaining
colleagues
to
"resist
fascism"
and
"remember
the oath
you
vowed to
uphold."
At
the end
of the
workday,
employees
lined
the
entrance
lobby
and
sidewalks
outside
the
State
Department
to "clap
out"
their
dismissed
colleagues.
Many of
those
who lost
their
jobs
emerged
from the
building
carrying
boxes,
some
visibly
emotional,
to
steady
applause
from
supporters
and
demonstrators.
"These
firings
were not
done
with
dignity
and
respect,
but I
have
walked
out of
the
State
Department
with my
head
held
high,
alongside
my civil
service
and
foreign
service
colleagues,"
said
Olga
Bashbush,
a
20-year
career
diplomat
who was
among
those
terminated.
She had
begun
working
in an
office
last
October
that was
subsequently
eliminated.
Scale of
Reduction
The
Friday
firings
are part
of a
larger
workforce
reduction
expected
to
affect
nearly
3,000
employees
through
terminations
and
voluntary
departures.
The
American
Foreign
Service
Association
said the
U.S. has
shed at
least 20
percent
of its
diplomatic
workforce
in less
than six
months.
Foreign
service
officers
who
received
notices
will be
placed
on
administrative
leave
for 120
days
before
formally
losing
their
jobs,
while
most
civil
servants
will
have a
60-day
leave
period.
Sharp
Criticism
The
layoffs
have
drawn
sharp
criticism
from
former
State
Department
officials,
Democratic
lawmakers,
and
professional
diplomatic
organizations.
Critics
argue
the cuts
will
undermine
America's
global
leadership
capabilities
and
diplomatic
effectiveness
at a
critical
time
when the
administration
is
attempting
to
broker
peace in
Ukraine
and the
Middle
East.
"Without
our
diplomacy
professionals,
we are
going to
have
those
forever
wars
that
Congress
and the
United
States
and the
president
have
said
that
they
don't
want to
be in,"
Bashbush
told
reporters.
"We are
here to
serve
and
protect,
and I'm
still
willing
to
serve."
The
American
Foreign
Service
Association
condemned
the
approach,
stating:
"There
were
clear,
institutional
mechanisms
available
to
address
excess
staffing,
if that
had been
the
goal.
Instead,
these
layoffs
are
untethered
from
merit or
mission.
They
target
diplomats
not for
how
they've
served
or the
skills
they
have,
but for
where
they
happen
to be
assigned."
Administration
Defense
Trump
administration
officials
have
defended
the
reorganization
as
necessary
reform.
A senior
State
Department
official
said the
restructuring
focused
on
functions
rather
than
individuals,
eliminating
roles
"no
longer
aligned
with
what the
department
was
going to
be doing
going
forward."
While
unable
to
provide
specific
cost
savings
figures,
the
official
indicated
that the
budget
request
for the
next
fiscal
year
"reflects
substantial
savings."
Looking
Forward
The
restructuring
aligns
the
State
Department
with
Trump
administration
priorities,
including
reducing
immigration
and
promoting
the
administration's
worldview,
with
less
emphasis
on
traditional
areas
like
human
rights
promotion.
Currently,
there
are no
plans
for cuts
at
overseas
diplomatic
posts.
The
layoffs
represent
one of
the most
dramatic
workforce
reductions
in State
Department
history,
with
significant
implications
for
American
foreign
policy
and
diplomatic
capabilities
worldwide.
This
story
continues
to
develop
as the
State
Department
implements
its
reorganization
plan.
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