The State Department will begin mass layoffs of civil servants and foreign service officers as part of their restructuring plan.

The department notified employees Thursday that it was about to begin layoffs as part of a consolidation plan that department officials say will reduce bureaucratic bloat.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists he is streamlining a bloated department, but critics warn the cost to America’s standing and influence could be high.

A former employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has been accused of smuggling K2-laced papers to a federal inmate.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio began mass firings at the State Department on Monday, part of a reorganization plan to form a leaner foreign policy force that, he argues, will allow the United States to respond more nimbly by removing layers of bureaucracy.

I do want to ask you both briefly as well about the mass firings at the State Department we reported on earlier. That follows a Supreme Court ruling that basically cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with those reductions in force.

According to the Associated Press, 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers were sent layoff notices Friday. They were informed that their positions were being “abolished” and that those notified would lose access to the State Department at 5 p.m.

Live updates and the latest news as President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour the Texas flood devastation and the U.S. prepares to impose blanket tariffs on trading partners.