US State Department laid off more than 1,300 workers as part of government efforts to cut the federal workforce.
According to CNN, the State Department officials on Friday, July 11, confirmed that more than 1,300 employees were fired in a major restructuring of the agency.
As the US President Donald Trump’s administration expands its efforts to shrink the federal workforce, the State Department laid off 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers working on issues related to Afghan refugees, counter-extremism, women's rights, and climate change in Washington, DC.
This came after more than 1,500 State Department employees earlier this year took voluntary departures as the agency undergoes a major transformation under the Trump administration.
The notice said, “Nearly 3,000 members of the workforce will depart as part of the reorganisation,” including a number of the workers fired and those who left voluntarily.
The layoff notices were sent to employees via email at the time when Secretary of State Marco Rubio was en route to Washington from his trip to Malaysia.
Rubio on Thursday, while in Malaysia, said, “It's not a consequence of trying to get rid of people. But if you close the bureau, you don't need those positions. Understand that some of these are positions that are being eliminated, not people."
Furthermore, at the end of the day, the fired employees were given a warm sendoff by their colleagues, who lined up in the lobby to “clap out” for them, holding boards with “thank you for your service” written on them.
Meanwhile, former State Department officials and Democrats condemned the firing of the employee and broader reorganisation.
