According to Reuters, on July 11 local time, the U.S. Department of State began laying off more than 1,350 domestic employees in the United States, involving 1,107 civilian staff and 246 foreign diplomatic officials stationed in the U.S. Critics argue that this move will weaken the U.S. ability to defend and promote its interests abroad.

The report points out that this layoff is part of the Trump administration's push for "unprecedented" reforms of the diplomatic team, at a time when the U.S. is struggling to deal with multiple crises on the world stage: the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the ongoing two-year Gaza conflict, and the unstable Middle East due to the highly tense relations between Israel and Iran.

On July 11 local time, a woman cried at a farewell event for U.S. Department of State staff. Reuters

An internal memo sent to employees from the Department of State said, "The Department of State is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities. The layoffs are carefully designed to target non-core functional departments, redundant or repetitive agencies, and departments where efficiency can be significantly improved."

According to the notice and statements from a senior State Department official, the total number of layoffs, including voluntary departures, will approach 3,000, accounting for nearly one-sixth of the total number of U.S. Department of State domestic employees.

This move marks the first step in Trump's restructuring to ensure that U.S. foreign policy aligns with his "America First" agenda. Former U.S. diplomats and critics say that firing diplomatic officials may make it difficult for the U.S. to cope with the growing confidence and influence of competitors such as China and Russia.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Democrat, stated in a statement: "President Trump and Secretary Rubio have once again made America less safe."

Kaine criticized the decision, saying that at a time when China is expanding its diplomatic influence globally and building a network of overseas military and transportation bases, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has lasted for years, and the Middle East is experiencing continuous crises, this could be "one of the most absurd decisions."

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