Over 1,300 State Department employees were handed pink slips late Thursday evening as part of a sweeping departmental overhaul approved by the Trump administration.
The layoffs were initiated just days after a Supreme Court ruling cleared the path for the mass dismissals, brushing aside ongoing legal objections.
Layoff notices were issued to 1,107 civil service workers and 246 foreign service officers stationed in the U.S., marking one of the most dramatic personnel purges in recent State Department history.
Affected staff were informed their positions had been “abolished,” and were told they would lose access to email, shared drives, and the State Department’s Washington D.C. headquarters by 5 p.m. Friday.
State Dept employees in solidarity with their more than 1,300 colleagues who have been fired today holding an impromptu clap-out at the Department’s C street entrance. Lots of people in tears. pic.twitter.com/7wNVmrhyMS
— Hümeyra Pamuk (@humeyra_pamuk) July 11, 2025
Images from the department showed emotional scenes as employees, some visibly distraught, exited the premises carrying boxes.
In a display of solidarity, coworkers who remained lined the lobby and applauded their departing colleagues.
Outside, the mood was more confrontational, with ambassadors, congressional members, and others protesting the sudden dismissals.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has yet to directly address the terminations, though he had proposed a major reorganization of the State Department to Congress back in May.
The Supreme Court’s decision paved the way for the Trump administration to implement its vision unchallenged.
I had to join the public servants at the State Department today to pay tribute to their work to advance our nation and keep this country safe.
To my fellow State Department friends, I see you and will continue to fight for you. You deserve better. pic.twitter.com/ofl3bMAOCE— Senator Andy Kim (@SenatorAndyKim) July 11, 2025
“Today’s near unanimous decision from the Supreme Court further confirms that the law was on our side throughout this entire process,” the department posted on X, a message Rubio later reposted.
Rubio defended the structural overhaul, characterizing it as a strategic effort to improve efficiency rather than a politically driven purge.
“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 said Thursday.
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“Understand that some of these are positions that are being eliminated, not people.”
Foreign service officers impacted by the layoffs were placed on administrative leave for 120 days, after which their employment will be formally terminated. Civil servants were given a 60-day separation period.
This wave of dismissals follows the administration’s earlier dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which had employed over 10,000 people globally.
State Dept. employees and their supporters are protesting outside the department as mass layoffs begin. Nearly 1,200 civil service and 250 foreign service staff are being let go. pic.twitter.com/2rgcViybfU
— Rabia İclal Turan (@iclalturan) July 11, 2025
Critics argue that the administration is systematically gutting America’s diplomatic and humanitarian infrastructure, and outrage from Senate Democrats followed quickly.
Members of the Foreign Relations Committee demanded immediate answers from Secretary Rubio, warning that vital expertise and institutional knowledge were being tossed aside.
“RIFs should remain a tool of last resort, and if implemented must be conducted according to long-standing procedures that prioritize transparency and a merit-based process for both career civil service employees and Foreign Service Officers,” a letter from the committee stated.
The message, led by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), was also signed by Democratic Senators Chris Coons, Chris Murphy, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley, Brian Schatz, Chris Van Hollen, Tammy Duckworth, and Jacky Rosen.
It was sent to Rubio as well as Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The senators raised concerns about how employees were selected for termination, noting that many foreign service officers rotate between assignments and bureaus.
“How many vacant FSO positions will there be worldwide after RIFs are processed? How does the Department plan to fill mission critical posts?” the lawmakers asked.
They also challenged the administration’s claim that the reorganization was focused on curbing waste.
“If reducing waste, fraud, and abuse is the goal of the reorganization, why is the Department not efficiently allowing these experienced civil service employees to laterally move into vacant positions they were chosen for based on merit?”
As the State Department distributed layoff notices, protests erupted in Washington.
Senator Chris Van Hollen joined State Department workers in denouncing the Trump administration’s decision.
“This is not America first. This is America in retreat,” Van Hollen said outside the building. “And we don’t want America retreating, do we? Hell no!”
Van Hollen continued, warning that national security was at risk. “When we retreat, that helps our adversaries and it hurts our friends and allies. When we retreat, it helps the autocrats and the dictators,” he said.
“And it undermines those fighting for human rights and democracy around the world.”
Senator Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, also issued a scathing statement, highlighting the global challenges facing American diplomacy.
“There are active conflicts and humanitarian crises in Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Haiti and Myanmar—to name a few. Now is the time to strengthen our diplomatic hand, not weaken it.”
The July 18 deadline looms for Rubio and the White House budget office to respond to the committee’s demands.
