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.

The U.S. State Department said on Friday it was aware of the reported death of a U.S. citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after reports emerged of Israeli settlers fatally beating a Palestinian American.

The US State Department fired more than 1,300 employees on Friday in line with a dramatic reorganization plan from the Trump administration that critics say will damage America's global leadership and efforts to counter threats abroad.

Mass layoff came days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for US president to gut entire government positions.

The State Department is firing more than 1,300 people on Friday as part of a dramatic overhaul of the agency, according to an internal notice seen by CNN.

The involuntary staff reductions include 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service employees, according to a notice sent to employees Friday morning.

The State Department will start sending notices to members of its workforce impacted by the reorganization soon, the agency's top official for management said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump's administration moves ahead with its plans to overhaul the U.

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State Department to release letter to all employees Thursday evening informing them that it's officially moving to implement “targeted reduction in domestic workforce.”

WASHINGTON: The State Department began firing more than 1,350 US-based employees on Friday (Jul 11) as the administration of President Donald Trump presses ahead with an unprecedented overhaul

Republican leaders say the cuts are necessary to make the department more nimble and efficient, but diplomats say they will weaken U.S. influence.