Overview

• The Supreme Court is set to rule imminently on lifting a federal injunction that halted planned reductions in force and office consolidations.
• Officials have updated the Foreign Affairs Manual and asked civil service staff to submit resumes in preparation for the cuts.
• The administration’s plan would eliminate or merge over 300 bureaus and offices and remove about 3,448 U.S.-based positions.
• The American Foreign Service Association has demanded that the department honor the judicial order prohibiting layoffs until litigation concludes.
• Bipartisan lawmakers warn that deep cuts risk weakening the diplomatic corps, including roughly 700 Washington-based foreign service officers.