U.S. diplomats brace for mass layoffs after months in limbo

by UB Center for Urban Studies · 07/11/2025

The layoffs are part of an agency reorganization that has been in the works for months.

U.S. diplomats in Washington are bracing for cuts to the State Department workforce, with dismissal notices expected to hit inboxes as soon as Friday, according to three State Department officials with knowledge of the plans. The layoffs are part of a mass reorganization of the federal agency, including the dissolution or merging of more than 300 bureaus and offices and a 15% reduction in employees.

Termination notices had been expected to go out beginning at 10 a.m. this morning, three sources familiar with the planning told NBC News. Almost 3000 employees will depart the agency as part of the cuts and deferred retirement, with layoffs of over 1,100 civil service and nearly 250 foreign service officers, according to an internal State Department notice seen by NBC News.

By: Abigail Williams, Andrea Mitchell and Vaughn Hillyard July 10, 2025

Read the full story here NBC NEWS