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The U.S. State Department has announced a significant reorganization plan that will see a reduction of 15% of its domestic workforce, resulting in the closure of 132 offices. This restructuring is part of a broader effort to streamline operations within the agency.
On Tuesday, the department informed its employees that they would receive reduction-in-force notifications by July 1. Following this reorganization, the number of State Department offices and bureaus will decrease from 734 to 602, while an additional 137 offices will be relocated within the agency.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly shared details of this reorganization with staff, who had been anticipating such announcements. He has put Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources-designate Michael Rigas—previously the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management under President Trump—at the helm of this overhaul, pending Senate confirmation. Rubio explained that the offices slated for closure do not have legal mandates, conflict with the administration’s priorities, overlap in functionality, or are fundamentally misaligned with the department’s mission.
Rubio acknowledged the challenges inherent to such change and indicated his openness to employee feedback through a newly established portal. “Our people are our strength, but far too often, the bureaucracy hampers our capability to advance America’s core national interests,” Rubio commented. He expressed a desire to empower the workforce to fulfill their roles more effectively.
For employees in the civil service facing potential layoffs, the department has communicated that separations will occur at the end of mandated notice periods, which can range from 60 to 90 days. Foreign Service officers may either be separated or assigned new roles, while contract employees are expected to be let go within a 60-day timeframe.
Foreign Service officers whose current positions are cut may need to apply for new roles within the department. Each undersecretary is working on a workforce strategy, with plans to disclose specific impacts to affected staff shortly. These changes will extend across both eliminated and relocated offices, with some employees facing reassignment and others potential layoffs.
At this stage, the focus of the reorganization is solely on domestic offices, with no decisions made regarding the closure of embassies, consulates, or overseas offices. Additionally, ongoing efforts to consolidate the U.S. Agency for International Development’s remaining functions into the State Department are not included in this restructuring.
A major transformation is anticipated within the Undersecretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights office, which will be rebranded as the Office of Foreign Assistance and Human Rights. Several existing programs, such as the Office of Global Criminal Justice and the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, appear uncertain regarding their roles in the new organizational structure.
Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau reassured employees in a message obtained by Government Executive that ongoing programs will not be disrupted. He emphasized that future activities and initiatives would align closely with the foreign policy objectives set by both the president and the secretary of state.
While this reorganization makes significant changes, it does not encompass the more radical alterations to the Foreign Service that had been proposed in earlier drafts of an executive order aimed at reforming the State Department.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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