The US State Department on Friday removed more than 1,300 employees, including 1,107 civilian employees and 246 foreign service officers based in the United States.
This move is called part of the Donald Trump administration’s extensive restructuring plan, which critics believe will seriously damage America’s global capabilities and the country’s capacity to confront foreign threats.
According to a notice obtained by The Associated Press, the dismissed employees were told that their posts had been removed and their access to State Department headquarters in Washington, shared emails and drives would be cut off by 5 p.m. that day.
Dozens of former colleagues, ambassadors, members of Congress, and others gathered outside the State Department building, holding placards with slogans like “Thank you to American diplomats” and “We all deserve better.” They protested the expulsions.
