US State Department tells staff planned layoffs to begin soon

The State Department will start sending notices to members of its workforce impacted by the reorganization soon, the agency's top official for management said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump's administration moves ahead with its plans to overhaul the US diplomatic corps and cut jobs, Report informs via Reuters.

"Soon, the Department will be communicating to individuals affected by the reduction in force," Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Michael Rigas said in an email to the workforce.

"Once notifications have taken place, the Department will enter the final stage of its reorganization and focus its attention on delivering results-driven diplomacy," Rigas said.

The move is the first step of a restructuring that Trump has sought to ensure US foreign policy is aligned with his "America First" agenda. It will likely result in hundreds of job cuts including members of the elite foreign service who advocate for US interests in the face of growing assertiveness from adversaries such as China and Russia.

No State Department official publicly said when the first notices for the planned layoffs would be sent, but the widespread expectation is for the terminations to start as soon as Friday.