By Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The State Department has kicked off a second round of the deferred resignation program, according to an internal email seen by Reuters and two U.S. officials, as part of President Donald Trump’s push to ensure that the agency and its workforce are in line with his “America First” agenda.
The internal email dated April 25 comes days after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Department as “bloated, bureaucratic” and proposed to eliminate more than 100 bureaus and offices and plan towards reducing staff by 15%.
The Department’s planned overhaul is the latest in an unprecedented push by Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk to significantly shrink the federal government due to what they say is its wasteful spending of U.S. taxpayer money. The effort has already led to the firing of thousands of government employees.
“We continue listening to feedback and want to give members of our workforce the ability to make decisions about their future. As such, the State Department is launching a second opportunity for a deferred resignation program,” the internal State Department email said.
The email, signed by Jose Cunningham, who has been performing the duties of the under secretary for management, said any applications should be submitted by May 5.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY
Earlier this month, a host of U.S. federal agencies unveiled fresh buyout offers to slash their workforce, renewing a voluntary program that preceded the first wave of mass firings led by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. About 75,000 federal workers accepted the first offer.
Trump issued an executive order in February directing Rubio to revamp the U.S. Foreign Service and how the State Department functions to ensure that the U.S. diplomatic corps faithfully implements his agenda.
Neither Rubio nor other State Department officials said how many people would be laid off as a result of the reorganization but a report in online publication the Free Press, which Rubio posted last week on X, said 700 positions would be eliminated in the shuttered offices.
Since last week’s announcement, employees across multiple offices such as those in charge of U.S. global climate policy and climate aid have already been informed that their offices would be shutting down.
Speaking with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Rubio said the cuts were not just about money but empowering regional bureaus and embassies. “I think it’s going to make the State Department more nimble, more effective,” Rubio said.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
