The Federal News Network published on 16 July 2026 an article titled "Laid-off Federal Employees Spotlight Impacts of State Dept. RIF" by Drew Friedman.
The State Department laid off nearly 1,350, mostly civil service, staff and DOGE fired almost all USAID personnel and abolished the organization, moving a small number of USAID employees to the State Department. The State Department is now scrambling to figure out how to cope with issues such as Ebola in Africa.
Federal News Network published on 10 July 2026 an article titled "State Dept. Is Looking to Rebuild after Major Staffing Cuts. Laid-off Diplomats Say They Are Not Welcome Back" by Jory Heckman.
After arbitrarily firing 1,350 State Department employees last summer, the administration is now trying to hire staff so that the organization has the personnel to carry out the functions expected of it.
Comment: This is a classic example of how not to "reform" a large bureaucratic, governmental organization.
CNN published on 16 May 2026 an article titled "As Global Crises Multiply, Scores of US Diplomats Say They Have Been Forced Out" by Jennifer Hansler.
An estimated 2,000 Foreign Service officers have been forced out or left by their own choice the U.S. Department of State in the past year. Of 195 ambassadorial positions overseas, 115 are currently vacant, an unprecedented situation this late in an administration.
This hollowing out of the State Department will have far reaching implications for the ability of the United States to project power and deliver on its foreign policy priorities.
The New York Times published on 2 December 2025 an article titled "U.S. Diplomats Report Broken Morale and Abandoned Careers" by Michael Crowley.
A recent American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) survey of 2,100 State Department diplomats reported that 98 percent believe workplace morale has fallen since the Trump administration took power in January. Only 1 percent reported an improvement in the situation in the State Department.
CNN covered the same report on 3 December 2025 in an article titled "Trump Administration Changes Have Left US Diplomats Demoralized and Less Able to Do Their Jobs, Report Says" by Jennifer Hansler.
CNN quotes the president of AFSA as saying: "The Foreign Service--the very institution tasked with navigating our global interests--is being dismantled in real time." Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised State Department personnel when he first arrived. There is now a belief he has turned his back on them.
The Government Executive published on 9 May 2025 an article titled "State Department Cuts Poised to Be More Severe than Previously Outlined with 3,400 Employees on the Chopping Block" by Eric Katz and David Dimolfetta.
Beginning in early June, an estimated 3,400 civil and foreign service positions are expected to be cut at the State Department. The reduction in force (RIF) is not expected to affect the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which issues passports and visas to the public, but this means that about 20 percent of all other positions will be eliminated. The first round of cuts will only impact US domestic jobs. Overseas cuts are expected to occur later.
