Following SCOTUS Win, State Department Informs Employees That Mass Layoffs Will Begin Soon

WASHINGTON— The State Department will inform employees on Thursday evening that it will soon begin mass layoffs, a document obtained by The Daily Wire shows.

Over 1500 employees will receive “Reduction in Force” (RIF) notices, a State Department official shared with The Daily Wire on Thursday.

The move comes after the Supreme Court lifted a lower court order on Tuesday blocking President Donald Trump from laying off federal workers at almost two dozen agencies, clearing the way for the president to move forward with his plans for reorganizing and downsizing federal agencies.

The State Department email, sent Thursday evening from Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Michael Rigas to State Department staff, says that once employees have received their RIF notices, State will enter its final stage of reorganization and focus its attention on delivering “results-driven diplomacy.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio deplanes upon arrival at Subang Air Base, outside of Kuala Lumpur, on July 10, 2025.  (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“Secretary Rubio, at the direction of President Trump, has undertaken a historic reorganization of the State Department, which was thoughtfully and deliberately executed by department leadership,” a senior State Department official told The Daily Wire. “The America First State Department will better serve the American people.”

More communications and guidance will be distributed in the coming weeks, Rigas told the State Department employees.

“On behalf of Department leadership, we extend our gratitude for your hard work and commitment to executing this reorganization and for your ongoing dedication to advancing U.S. national interests across the world,” he concluded.

The move is part of Secretary Marco Rubio’s effort to conduct the largest reorganization of the State Department in decades, focusing resources on policy priorities and eliminating “redundant functions,” as Rigas noted. Rubio had reviewed and approved plans to target reduction in the department’s domestic workforce in May.

Rubio said at the time that State’s domestic operations had grown exponentially, “resulting in more bureaucracy, higher costs, and fewer results for the American people.” He elaborated on the plan submitted to Congress, saying it was the result of thoughtful and deliberative work by senior State Department leadership.

“Since my first day as Secretary, I have said that this Department must move at the speed of relevancy and, in April, announced a broad reorganization of the Department to better achieve that goal,” he noted. “Today, we took the next step in that process by notifying Congress of how we plan to do that.”

“The reorganization plan will result in a more agile Department, better equipped to promote America’s interests and keep Americans safe across the world,” he promised.