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The Hill
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Senate Democrat: Putin ‘going to be celebrating' State Department layoffs
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said in a CNN interview on Monday that recent State Department layoffs affecting hundreds of people was probably seen as good news by Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'I think the folks who are celebrating this decision are our adversaries — China is going to be celebrating; Vladimir Putin is going to be celebrating,' Van Hollen told CNN's John Berman. 'And our allies are going to be the ones who think this is just another step back as part of Donald Trump's long retreat.' The State Department moved ahead with laying off 1,300 foreign service and civil service employees on Friday as part of a department overhaul that Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced earlier this year. The move drew immediate backlash from former diplomats and others who argued that President Trump's administration is harming national security by cutting the country's diplomatic force. 'It's obviously a great disservice to these people who were dedicated to the United States of America and went into work every day as patriots, but it's also going to hurt our whole country,' Van Hollen said of the State Department cuts. 'These are men and women who have been advancing American interests and values around the world, and Donald Trump talks about 'America First' but this is America in retreat and it's going to hurt all of us.' The State Department didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Rubio defended the layoffs while on a diplomatic trip to Asia last week, calling the effort a 'very deliberate step to reorganize the State Department to be more efficient and more focused.' 'It's not a consequence of trying to get rid of people, but if you close the bureau, you don't need those positions,' Rubio told reporters in Malaysia. Rubio approved the shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in his department earlier this year. The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which represents former and current diplomats, said Friday that the layoffs signal to allies that the U.S. is retreating from its global commitments. 'As allies look to the U.S. for reassurance and rivals test for weakness, the administration has chosen to sideline the very professionals best equipped to navigate this moment,' AFSA said in a statement. 'Meanwhile, countries like China continue expanding their diplomatic reach and influence.' Van Hollen was one of several Democrats who took part in a protest outside the State Department's headquarters on Friday.
Kuwait Times
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
US State Department begins mass layoffs
WASHINGTON: US State Department employees who were recently laid off hug one another outside the Harry S Truman Federal Building on July 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. – AFP WASHINGTON: More than 1,300 State Department employees have been fired in a downsizing ordered by President Donald Trump and touted as cutting bloated government - but which critics predict will hamstring US influence around the world. Diplomats and other staff clapped out departing colleagues in emotional scenes at the Washington headquarters of the department, which runs US foreign policy and the global network of embassies. Some were crying as they walked out with boxes of belongings. A State Department official said 1,107 members of the civil service and 246 Foreign Service diplomatic employees were terminated. The layoffs at the department came three days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to begin carrying out its plan to gut entire government departments. The conservative-dominated top court lifted a temporary block imposed by a lower court on Trump's plans to lay off potentially tens of thousands of employees. The 79-year-old Republican says he wants to dismantle what he calls the 'deep state.' Since taking office in January, he has worked quickly to install fierce personal loyalists and to fire swaths of veteran government workers. His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says the foreign policy department is too cumbersome and requires thinning out of some 15 percent. The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) - the union representing State Department employees - condemned the 'catastrophic blow to our national interests.' 'At a moment of great global instability - with war raging in Ukraine, conflict between Israel and Iran, and authoritarian regimes testing the boundaries of international order - the United States has chosen to gut its frontline diplomatic workforce,' AFSA said in a statement. 'We oppose this decision in the strongest terms.' The State Department employed over 80,000 people worldwide last year, according to a fact sheet, with around 17,700 in domestic roles. The US Agency for International Development, long the primary vehicle to provide US humanitarian assistance around the world, has already been mostly dismantled. According to The Washington Post, State Department employees were informed of their firings by email. Foreign Service officers will lose their jobs 120 days after receiving the notice and will be immediately placed on administrative leave, while civil service employees will be separated after 60 days, the newspaper said. Ned Price, who served as State Department spokesman under Democratic former president Joe Biden, condemned what he called haphazard firings. 'For all the talk about 'merit-based,' they're firing officers based on where they happen to be assigned on this arbitrary day,' Price said on X. 'It's the laziest, most inefficient, and most damaging way to lean the workforce.' Former ambassador Barbara Leaf, Biden's top Middle East diplomat, said the move 'will have terrible consequences for our ability to protect American citizens abroad, pursue and defend the national interest and our national security.' 'This is not a re-org. This is a purge,' Leaf said in a post on LinkedIn.- AFP
Roya News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
1,300 US State Department employees fired in massive Trump downsizing
More than 1,300 State Department employees were fired Friday in a downsizing ordered by President Donald Trump and touted as cutting bloated government -- but which critics predict will hamstring US influence around the world. Diplomats and other staff clapped out departing colleagues in emotional scenes at the Washington headquarters of the department, which runs US foreign policy and the global network of embassies. Some were crying as they walked out with boxes of belongings. A State Department official said 1,107 members of the civil service and 246 Foreign Service diplomatic employees were terminated. The layoffs at the department came three days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to begin carrying out its plan to gut entire government departments. The conservative-dominated top court lifted a temporary block imposed by a lower court on Trump's plans to lay off potentially tens of thousands of employees. The 79-year-old Republican says he wants to dismantle what he calls the "deep state." Since taking office in January, he has worked quickly to install fierce personal loyalists and to fire swaths of veteran government workers. His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says the foreign policy department is too cumbersome and requires thinning out of some 15 percent. The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) -- the union representing State Department employees -- condemned the "catastrophic blow to our national interests." "At a moment of great global instability -- with war raging in Ukraine, conflict between Israel and Iran, and authoritarian regimes testing the boundaries of international order -- the United States has chosen to gut its frontline diplomatic workforce," AFSA said in a statement. "We oppose this decision in the strongest terms." The State Department employed over 80,000 people worldwide last year, according to a fact sheet, with around 17,700 in domestic roles. The US Agency for International Development, long the primary vehicle to provide US humanitarian assistance around the world, has already been mostly dismantled. According to The Washington Post, State Department employees were informed of their firings by email. Foreign Service officers will lose their jobs 120 days after receiving the notice and will be immediately placed on administrative leave, while civil service employees will be separated after 60 days, the newspaper said. Ned Price, who served as State Department spokesman under Democratic former president Joe Biden, condemned what he called haphazard firings. "For all the talk about 'merit-based,' they're firing officers based on where they happen to be assigned on this arbitrary day," Price said on X. "It's the laziest, most inefficient, and most damaging way to lean the workforce." Former ambassador Barbara Leaf, Biden's top Middle East diplomat, said the move "will have terrible consequences for our ability to protect American citizens abroad, pursue and defend the national interest and our national security." "This is not a re-org. This is a purge," Leaf said in a post on LinkedIn.
Malay Mail
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
The purge begins: Trump fires 1,300 State Dept staff in sweeping cuts, critics warn of ‘catastrophic blow' to US diplomacy
WASHINGTON, July 12 — More than 1,300 State Department employees were fired yesterday in a downsizing ordered by President Donald Trump and touted as cutting bloated government — but which critics predict will hamstring US influence around the world. Diplomats and other staff clapped out departing colleagues in emotional scenes at the Washington headquarters of the department, which runs US foreign policy and the global network of embassies. Some were crying as they walked out with boxes of belongings. A State Department official said 1,107 members of the civil service and 246 Foreign Service diplomatic employees were terminated. The layoffs at the department came three days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to begin carrying out its plan to gut entire government departments. The conservative-dominated top court lifted a temporary block imposed by a lower court on Trump's plans to lay off potentially tens of thousands of employees. The 79-year-old Republican says he wants to dismantle what he calls the 'deep state.' Since taking office in January, he has worked quickly to install fierce personal loyalists and to fire swaths of veteran government workers. His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says the foreign policy department is too cumbersome and requires thinning out of some 15 percent. The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) — the union representing State Department employees — condemned the 'catastrophic blow to our national interests.' 'At a moment of great global instability — with war raging in Ukraine, conflict between Israel and Iran, and authoritarian regimes testing the boundaries of international order — the United States has chosen to gut its frontline diplomatic workforce,' AFSA said in a statement. 'We oppose this decision in the strongest terms.' The State Department employed over 80,000 people worldwide last year, according to a fact sheet, with around 17,700 in domestic roles. The US Agency for International Development, long the primary vehicle to provide US humanitarian assistance around the world, has already been mostly dismantled. According to The Washington Post, State Department employees were informed of their firings by email. Foreign Service officers will lose their jobs 120 days after receiving the notice and will be immediately placed on administrative leave, while civil service employees will be separated after 60 days, the newspaper said. Ned Price, who served as State Department spokesman under Democratic former president Joe Biden, condemned what he called haphazard firings. 'For all the talk about 'merit-based,' they're firing officers based on where they happen to be assigned on this arbitrary day,' Price said on X. 'It's the laziest, most inefficient, and most damaging way to lean the workforce.' Former ambassador Barbara Leaf, Biden's top Middle East diplomat, said the move 'will have terrible consequences for our ability to protect American citizens abroad, pursue and defend the national interest and our national security.' 'This is not a re-org. This is a purge,' Leaf said in a post on LinkedIn. — AFP
Int'l Business Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
US State Department Begins Mass Layoffs
More than 1,300 State Department employees were fired Friday in a downsizing ordered by President Donald Trump and touted as cutting bloated government -- but which critics predict will hamstring US influence around the world. Diplomats and other staff clapped out departing colleagues in emotional scenes at the Washington headquarters of the department, which runs US foreign policy and the global network of embassies. Some were crying as they walked out with boxes of belongings. A State Department official said 1,107 members of the civil service and 246 Foreign Service diplomatic employees were terminated. The layoffs at the department came three days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to begin carrying out its plan to gut entire government departments. The conservative-dominated top court lifted a temporary block imposed by a lower court on Trump's plans to lay off potentially tens of thousands of employees. The 79-year-old Republican says he wants to dismantle what he calls the "deep state." Since taking office in January, he has worked quickly to install fierce personal loyalists and to fire swaths of veteran government workers. His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says the foreign policy department is too cumbersome and requires thinning out of some 15 percent. The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) -- the union representing State Department employees -- condemned the "catastrophic blow to our national interests." "At a moment of great global instability -- with war raging in Ukraine, conflict between Israel and Iran, and authoritarian regimes testing the boundaries of international order -- the United States has chosen to gut its frontline diplomatic workforce," AFSA said in a statement. "We oppose this decision in the strongest terms." The State Department employed over 80,000 people worldwide last year, according to a fact sheet, with around 17,700 in domestic roles. The US Agency for International Development, long the primary vehicle to provide US humanitarian assistance around the world, has already been mostly dismantled. According to The Washington Post, State Department employees were informed of their firings by email. Foreign Service officers will lose their jobs 120 days after receiving the notice and will be immediately placed on administrative leave, while civil service employees will be separated after 60 days, the newspaper said. Ned Price, who served as State Department spokesman under Democratic former president Joe Biden, condemned what he called haphazard firings. "For all the talk about 'merit-based,' they're firing officers based on where they happen to be assigned on this arbitrary day," Price said on X. "It's the laziest, most inefficient, and most damaging way to lean the workforce." Former ambassador Barbara Leaf, Biden's top Middle East diplomat, said the move "will have terrible consequences for our ability to protect American citizens abroad, pursue and defend the national interest and our national security." "This is not a re-org. This is a purge," Leaf said in a post on LinkedIn. There were emotional scenes as State Department employees left the building AFP US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is seeking cuts of some 15 percent at his department AFP
