The Donald Trump administration’s large-scale cuts and restructuring of the U.S. State Department are causing serious concern among current and former employees. They warn that these changes will have severe long-term effects on national security and America’s position in the world. Thousands of experienced staff have been laid off or have chosen to leave through buyout offers, while a proposed budget cut of nearly 50% has left the department in chaos and morale at its lowest point ever.
More than 1,350 State Department employees received Reduction In Force (RIF) notices after a Supreme Court decision allowed the administration to move forward with these actions, among other things. This makes up about 15% of the domestic workforce and adds to the roughly 3,000 employees who have left the agency through RIFs, early retirement, or resignation buyouts.
