The State Department will lay off more than 1,300 people as part of a broad restructuring plan, Reuters is reporting.
The layoffs will affect 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers, according to Reuters, which said it had seen an internal notice. The Associated Press is reporting the same number.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed to reporters that the department was proceeding with the cuts on July 10 while traveling in Malaysia.
"Our intent is to move forward with the plans that we’ve notified Congress of weeks ago and that we took months to design," he said.
Rubio first announced plans to reorganize the department in April, but the plans were put on hold when a federal judge blocked them in May. On July 8, the Supreme Court reversed that block, essentially allowing layoff plans to move forward at multiple federal agencies while the lower court continues hearing the case over whether the layoffs are legal.
The State Department is proposing requiring applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond...
