U.S. State Department begins mass layoff

The State Department on Friday notified over 1,300 employees that they would be placed on administrative leave before losing their jobs permanently, according to an internal notice obtained by the Associated Press. Foreign service officers will be placed on leave for 120 days, while civil servants will be on leave for 60 days before they are let go. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s goal to reorganize the department to be more efficient, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week allowed the government’s plan for large-scale layoffs and restructuring to proceed. The court found that the Trump administration would likely win a legal challenge filed by workers, nonprofit groups, and local units of government.

What is the plan? The federal government in April released a proposal to reorganize the state department, saying that it would consolidate region-specific functions, remove redundant offices, and end programs not aligned with core U.S. interests. Officials crafted the plan using feedback from Congress and from federal workers, according to department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report about the Supreme Court ruling that let the plan move forward.