State Department Confirms Layoffs Despite New Budget Deal

The Trump administration has formally confirmed its decision to proceed with planned layoffs within the State Department workforce, providing official separation dates for hundreds of Foreign Service employees despite a recent spending agreement that could have potentially altered such actions.

According to an internal notice obtained by Federal News Network (FNN), affected employees who received Reduction in Force notices earlier this year are being told their separations will occur as scheduled. The memo specifically addressed those whose RIF notices were issued on July 11th, confirming their separation dates now stand at December 5th.

This confirmation marks the finalization of actions that began during a government shutdown period. A State Department spokesperson noted that the administration’s legal advisors have determined these layoffs are permissible under current guidance from both the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, despite Congress passing appropriations legislation to fund other agencies.

“While this determination may appear contrary to recent spending bills,” said a FNN source familiar with the department’s position but not authorized to speak on the record, “the guidance confirms that completing layoffs initiated before the lapse in funding does not violate federal law or the continuing resolution.”

The original layoff notices were set for November 10th during the shutdown. The extended separation dates now fall within a period some lawmakers and unions argue contradicts congressional intent regarding these particular workforce reductions.

Unions, including the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), have voiced strong objections to what they consider an incomplete implementation of the spending deal, but so far agencies have maintained their stance on executing pre-existing RIF decisions.