Marco Rubio Unveils Plan to Cut State Department U.S. Staff by 15%

What Happened?

The Trump administration continues its efforts to downsize the federal government after announcing massive reduction measures of the U.S. Department of State.

Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, took to social media Tuesday to unveil a new plan to reduce State Department staff in the U.S. by 15%.

The plan aims to close and consolidate over 100 bureaus worldwide as part of the Trump administration’s 'America First' mandate.

'Under POTUS leadership and at my direction, we are reversing decades of bloat and bureaucracy at the State Department,' Rubio said on social platform X. 'These sweeping changes will empower our talented diplomats to put America and Americans first.'

State Department spokeswoman, Tammy Bruce, told reporters that the sweeping changes would not result in the immediate dismissal of personnel.

Instead, Bruce said 'it is a roadmap. It’s a plan.'

According to an obtained fact sheet by the Associated Press, those plans include consolidating 734 bureaus and offices to 602.

In addition, 137 offices would be transitioning to another location within the department to 'increase efficiency.'

These reorganization decisions were reportedly driven in part by the need to find a home for the remaining USAID functions dismantled by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Why it Matters

A federal appeals court, on Friday, lifted an order blocking DOGE from invoking further USAID cuts.

Another appeals court order previously cleared the way for thousands of probationary workers to be laid off by the Trump administration.

Thousands of federal workers who live and work in 19 states and Washington, D.C. were impacted as a result.

The Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) recently informed fired probationary employees that it would no longer pursue complaints they were wrongfully terminated.

In an email, according to The Hill, the OSC stated to nearly 2,000 complainants that the agency ‘plans to take no further action.’

It's a reversal made after the Trump administration fired the former head of the watchdog agency, Hampton Dellinger.

These decisions mark significant wins for the Trump administration in its effort to shrink the federal workforce.

Justice Department lawyers have tied most of the firings to poor performance that dismissed employees have strongly disputed.

How it Affects You

Federal agencies terminated roughly 25,000 probationary employees in mid-February who were deemed nonessential to identify probationary workers.

Democrats have blasted the administration's latest moves that are geared toward slashing the State Department.

It is unclear if these efforts would be implemented through executive order amid a lack of bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.

The Trump administration may continue to slash government jobs in its mission to reduce federal spending.