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Saturday, July 12, 2025
On July 12, over one thousand federal government employees were laid off at the US State Department, according to a notice acquired by CBS News.
The layoffs were a part of the Trump Administration’s concerted effort to cut federal spending. Employees affected by the cuts included civil and foreign service workers.
The Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration was among the US government agencies most greatly impacted by the cuts. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “It’s not a consequence of trying to get rid of people, but if you close the bureau, you don’t need those positions. Understand that some of these are positions that are being eliminated, not people.”
Some have expressed concern regarding the effect of the cuts on quality of work. Protesters gathered and demonstrated outside the offices of the State Department’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, which was also impacted by the cuts.
In addition to the involuntary layoffs, over 1,500 federal employees had voluntarily left their jobs earlier in 2025.
