As President Donald Trump’s administration moves on with an unprecedented reform of its diplomatic corps, the State Department started terminating more than 1,350 US-based employees on Friday. Critics claim this move would make it more difficult for the US to defend and advance its interests abroad.
At a time when Washington is dealing with several global crises, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, the nearly two-year-old conflict in Gaza, and the Middle East on edge due to high tension between Israel and Iran, the layoffs, which impact 1,107 civil service employees and 246 foreign service officers stationed in the United States, are taking place.
“The Department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,” the employees were informed in an internal State Department correspondence.
