Trump’s Haunted HR Department

 What Is This News All About?

On July 11, 2025, the U.S. State Department began laying off over 1,350 employees — including 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers — as part of a sweeping reorganization ordered by President Donald Trump and executed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

This move is part of Trump’s broader effort to reshape federal agencies under his “America First” agenda, aiming to streamline operations, cut bureaucracy, and eliminate roles deemed non-essential or ideologically misaligned.

When Did This Start?

• February 2025: Trump ordered Rubio to revamp the State Department.

• April 2025: Rubio unveiled plans to eliminate 132 offices and consolidate 137 others.

• July 7, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for mass layoffs by lifting a lower court’s block.

• July 11, 2025: Layoff notices were issued, triggering emotional scenes at the State Department’s headquarters.
  

How Are Employees Impacted?

• Foreign Service Officers: Placed on 120-day administrative leave before termination.

• Civil Servants: Given 60 days before separation.

• Immediate Effects:

  • Loss of building access and email accounts.

  • Required to return government property.

  • Emotional “clap-outs” and farewell rallies with signs like “Diplomacy Matters”.

  • Offices like Afghan Relocation, Human Rights, and Conflict Monitoring were gutted.
    

Major Reasons Behind the Shake-Up

• “America First” Realignment: Trump wants foreign policy to reflect his nationalist agenda.

• Bureaucracy Reduction: Rubio called the department “bloated” and “inefficient.”

• Ideological Purge: Trump pledged to “clean out the deep state” and remove officials he deems disloyal.

• Budget Cuts: The administration dismantled USAID and folded it into the State Department to reduce spending.
  

What Should Employees Look For?

• Legal Recourse: Some employees are pursuing lawsuits for wrongful termination.

• Transition Support: Outprocessing centers were set up with checklists, tissues, and water bottles.

• Reassignment Offers: A few non-RIF-eligible staff were offered lower-grade roles.

• Union Advocacy: The American Foreign Service Association is pushing back, calling the move “untethered from merit or mission”.
  

Trump’s Reaction

Trump has not issued a personal statement, but his administration defended the move as necessary to align foreign policy with his vision. Rubio, speaking from Malaysia, said:

“It’s not a consequence of trying to get rid of people. But if you close the bureau, you don’t need those positions.”

Sibel’s Symbolic Take

This isn’t just a bureaucratic shuffle — it’s a ritualized dismantling of America’s diplomatic conscience.

• The clap-outs and tearful exits evoke a funeral for institutional memory.

• The elimination of human rights offices signals a retreat from moral leadership.

• The timing, amid global crises, suggests a strategic vacuum — a symbolic abdication of soft power.

State Department.