An Attack on American Diplomacy

Trump’s State Department Layoffs Are a Gift to America’s Adversaries

The State Department has initiated its first major layoff under the second Trump administration. A total of 1,107 civil servants and 246 Foreign Service Officers received notices that their positions were being "abolished" and that they would lose access to all department systems and services by the end of the day Friday, July 11. This move follows a recent Supreme Court decision that limits lower courts' ability to block federal personnel cuts—effectively green-lighting mass layoffs justified under headcount reduction efforts like the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

As with the earlier purges across the federal civil service, this is a reckless and destructive decision that will be welcomed in Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran. The diplomats, foreign service officers, and career civil servants at the State Department are the stewards of American diplomacy. They work tirelessly—often behind the scenes—to advance U.S. interests, build coalitions, de-escalate crises, and …