The State Department informed U.S.-based employees on Thursday that it would soon be laying off nearly 2,000 workers as part of a plan to downsize its domestic workforce.

More than 1,300 employees were forced out of the State Department on Friday, taking with them decades of specialized skills and on-the-job training.

Employees of the U.S. State Department could receive a layoff notice via email very soon as part of the Trump administration's plan to downsize the government.

State is poised to be the first agency to move forward with RIFs after receiving the Supreme Court's blessing.

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.

Some laid off employees were seen carrying boxes out of the U.S. State Department as supporters bid them farewell with applause and hugs.

A rally is expected, with supporters “clapping out” departing State Department employees and protesting the layoffs at 4 p.m. Friday.

U.S. diplomats in Washington are bracing for cuts to the State Department workforce, with dismissal notices expected to hit inboxes as soon as Friday, according to three State Department officials with knowledge of the plans.

The State Department has formally advised staffers that it will be sending layoff notices to some of them soon.

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Mass layoffs at the U.S. State Department have begun. Almost 3,000 employees will depart the agency as part of the cuts and deferred retirement, with layoffs of more than 1,100 civil service employees and nearly 250 foreign service officers,

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.