State Dept. Tells Staffers of Layoffs  07/11 06:07

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department formally advised staffers Thursday 
that it would be sending layoff notices to some of them soon, coming as part of 
dramatic changes to the agency that the Trump administration announced earlier 
this year.

   The workforce cuts and reorganization of the country's diplomatic corps are 
part of a wider administration effort to reduce the size of the federal 
government that has been largely carried out by the Department of Government 
Efficiency, formerly led by Elon Musk.

   A recent ruling by the Supreme Court cleared the way for the layoffs to 
start, while lawsuits challenging the legality of the cuts continue to play 
out. Critics say the scale of cuts floated at the State Department would lessen 
U.S. influence globally and make it hard for many offices to carry out their 
missions.

   Michael Rigas, the department's deputy secretary for management and 
resources, said in a statement that select staffers would be informed if they 
were being laid off and called it part of the department's biggest 
reorganization in decades.

   "Soon, the Department will be communicating to individuals affected by the 
reduction in force. First and foremost, we want to thank them for their 
dedication and service to the United States," he said.

   It wasn't immediately clear how many people would be dismissed.

   Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials took "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," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, 
Malaysia, where he's attending the annual Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations Regional Forum. "Understand that some of these are positions that are 
being eliminated, not people."

   He said some of the cuts will be unfilled positions or those that are about 
to be vacant because an employee took an early retirement.

   In late May, the State Department notified Congress of an updated 
reorganization plan, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had been revealed 
earlier by Rubio as well as an 18% reduction of staff in the U.S., even higher 
than the 15% initially floated in April.

   Rigas' statement said the department is aiming to "focus resources on policy 
priorities and eliminate redundant functions, empowering our people while 
increasing accountability."

   The State Department is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with 
oversight of America's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an 
office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. 
military. It also intends to eliminate programs related to refugees and 
immigration, as well as human rights and democracy promotion.

   The American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents 
diplomats, urged the State Department last month to hold off on job cuts.

   Notices for a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but 
eliminate positions altogether, "should be a last resort," association 
President Tom Yazdgerdi said. "Disrupting the Foreign Service like this puts 
national interests at risk -- and Americans everywhere will bear the 
consequences."