By Charles Switzer
1:57am PDT, Apr 24, 2025
State Department Announces Major Staff Reductions and Bureau Closures
On Tuesday, April 22, the State Department revealed plans to significantly overhaul its operations, including laying off approximately 2,000 staffers and closing down 132 overseas bureaus as part of President
Donald Trump's broader "America First" initiative, the
New York Post reported.
The number of department outposts worldwide will be reduced to 602 from the current 734, while another 137 offices will either be relocated or phased out entirely.
These changes are aimed at streamlining the department's operations and cutting costs in line with the administration's goals but can also come with a steep price, according to some analysts who fear America's diminished diplomacy on the world stage.
Here's what's happening.
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Impact of Downsizing on Domestic Staff
The reduction in staff will extend to domestic employees as well.
A 15 percent cut to domestic staff will result in more than 2,000 employees losing their jobs. To mitigate the impact, officials said they were "actively exploring" retirement incentives such as
buyout offers.
Additionally, another 700 employees at the department's headquarters in Foggy Bottom are expected to be relieved of their duties. Those affected by the reductions will be given reduction-in-force notices by July 1, according to the department's announcement.
Secretary Rubio's Vision for State Department Reorganization
The reorganization, first reported by
The Free Press, has been strongly advocated by Secretary of State
Marco Rubio.
In his first-ever Substack post as a cabinet official, Rubio explained, "Unless we confront the underlying bureaucratic culture that prevents the State Department from carrying out an effective foreign policy, while allowing offices like GEC [Global Engagement Center] to flourish in the shadows, nothing will change."
He went on to state, "That is why I am initiating a broad reorganization of the Department to address the steady growth of bureaucracy, duplication of functions and capture by special interests that have crippled American Foreign Policy."
Budget Cuts and Executive Orders
The announcement follows leaked internal memos suggesting substantial budget cuts, including slashing United Nations and NATO funding.
The proposals also advocated for downsizing or closing dozens of U.S. embassies and consulates. Many of these consolidations may be implemented via executive orders. Despite the scale of these cuts, Marco Rubio criticized a
New York Times report on the matter as "fake news," while State Department spokeswoman
Tammy Bruce clarified that these plans were not "final."
She reassured that "no one was being fired today," despite the ongoing restructuring led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under
Elon Musk, which had previously closed USAID.
Reactions to the Plan
Marco Rubio's Substack post emphasized the goal of "draining the bloated, bureaucratic swamp," specifically by eliminating "redundant offices" and programs that he claimed were misaligned with America's national interests.
He criticized what he described as costly spending programs that used U.S. taxpayer money to fund the agendas of "left-wing activists," such as grants to NGOs that facilitated mass migration and campaigns opposing leaders in countries like Poland, Hungary and Brazil.
The Washington Post reported how House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman
Brian Mast expressed support for the plan, stating, "Warfare and diplomacy in the 21st century are changing every day. Yet, bloat and bureaucracy keep the State Department from responding to those changes. This reorganization will make the State Department leaner and meaner and ensure every dollar and diplomat puts America First."
However, Rep.
Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the foreign affairs panel, criticized Rubio for putting forward the plans without consulting Congress and called for Donald Trump's cabinet official to testify on the matter.
