On Friday, Bloomberg News reported that 600 of the jobs will be cut through buyouts while another 1,700 will fade out through attrition. Ultimately, 9 percent of the agency’s workforce will be lost in Trump’s attempt to make government "less wasteful," as he intends to direct more funds to expanding the military and other defense concerns.
The State Department would be one of the hardest-hit institutions by the job cuts under the proposal, as it would lose 30 percent of its funding, or roughly $27.1 billion. The move will effectively roll back the growth the agency saw under Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.
Some feel that this development could hinder Washington’s international influence and say that divesting from diplomacy could have a ripple effect in the US’ future foreign policy.
After releasing a draft outline budget in March, Trump’s administration said, "These steps to reduce foreign assistance free up funding for critical priorities here at home and put America First."
At the time, Tillerson remarked, "Clearly the level of spending that the State Department has been undertaking, particularly in the past year, is simply not sustainable," declaring that the department will find "a way forward that allows us to be much more effective and much more efficient to be able to do a lot with fewer dollars."
Though the cuts will help redirect funding to defense agencies, some prominent former members of the military disagree with them: 120 retired US generals and admirals penned a letter to Congress saying diplomacy should be fully funded.
"We know from our service in uniform that many of the crises our nation faces do not have military solutions alone," their letter read. "The State Department, USAID, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Peace Corps and other development agencies are critical to preventing conflict and reducing the need to put our men and women in uniform in harm's way."
The cuts will be overseen by Congressional policy adviser William Inglee, who is also a former official at defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
