US State Department Fires 1,353 Employees as Part of “Reorganization” Effort

Kokcha News Agency reports that the U.S. State Department concluded a mass firing of employees on the final working day of the week, with staff members leaving the building amid applause from colleagues. On their last day, employees who had worked there for years gathered in the lobby and outside the doors, applauding and comforting each other as they departed with personal belongings in hand.

This latest wave of layoffs was announced a day earlier via email by Deputy Secretary of State Michael J. Rigas, who informed personnel that the dismissals were part of a broader effort driven by the ongoing reorganization plans. The department’s staff, totaling 1,353 individuals, includes 1,107 civil servants and 246 diplomats.

These layoffs are said to be a component of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s reform plan, which he first announced in May. Rubio described the department as “overbuilt and overwhelmed by bureaucracy,” emphasizing that the changes aim to align the department more closely with core American values and eliminate “radical political ideologies” within its ranks.

The recent staff cuts continue the Trump-era trend of large-scale dismissals, which previously saw tens of thousands of federal employees laid off across various agencies. Critics argue that these actions aim to reshape the department’s priorities and reduce what they see as excessive bureaucratic influence.