trump-orders-mass-layoffs-at-us-state-department

The United States State Department has begun widespread layoffs, with over 1,300 employees dismissed on Friday in what officials described as a drastic administrative downsizing initiated by President Donald Trump.

 

According to senior officials, 1,107 civil service personnel and 246 Foreign Service officers were let go as part of the White House’s bid to “trim excesses” and enforce what Trump has repeatedly referred to as a purge of the so-called “deep state.”

 

A senior department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that several employees were seen leaving with tears and packed boxes, with many expressing disbelief at the abrupt decision.

 

The move follows a green signal from the US Supreme Court earlier this week, which upheld the President’s authority to restructure executive departments.

 

Critics have lambasted the layoffs as short-sighted and damaging. Former diplomat Barbara Leaf, who served in the Biden administration, warned that the decision would “have terrible consequences for our ability to protect American citizens abroad, pursue and defend the national interest and our national security.”

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In a scathing post on social media, she described the action as a “purging rather than re-org.”

 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the restructuring, calling the Department “too cumbersome” and advocating a 15 per cent reduction in manpower. “It’s essential for agility in diplomacy,” he said.

 

Donald Trump, since assuming office in January, has prioritised dismantling what he labels entrenched bureaucracies. “We’re restoring the government to serve the people, not the elite,” he told a conservative news outlet on Friday.

 

Inside Washington, however, concerns continue to mount over the growing concentration of power within the executive branch, with some officials privately questioning whether the move is intended to ensure unflinching loyalty rather than efficiency.

 

The Department has yet to release an official breakdown of those affected or the posts eliminated. The downsizing is expected to continue into the coming weeks.