The State Department is undergoing a significant reduction of its Washington-based staff by approximately 15%, marking its largest overhaul in decades. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is eliminating 132 offices, citing a need to cut what he deems a 'bloated bureaucracy.' Early retirements and layoffs are already in effect, and personnel rules have been rewritten to streamline staff dismissals. Critics, including Senate Democrats and former diplomats, argue that these cuts undermine U.S. diplomacy and national security, with potential long-term impacts on the country's global agenda and human rights commitments.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading the overhaul, eliminating 132 offices he's described as part of a 'bloated bureaucracy.' His staff rewrote key personnel rules to allow the department to fire foreign service and civil service officials in roles now being phased out.
Ranking Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued a statement condemning the cuts, saying 'If this administration is serious about putting 'America First,' it must invest in our diplomatic corps and national security experts not erode the institutions that protect our interests.'
The American Academy of Diplomacy, which represents former ambassadors, accused Rubio of gutting the department's institutional knowledge and called the move 'an act of vandalism.'
Thomas Shannon warns the shake-up could have long-term consequences especially as the U.S. scales back on human rights.
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