A federal judge had temporarily halted an executive order from President Donald Trump concerning mass layoffs at various federal agencies, including the State Department, with plaintiffs arguing that Rubio’s reorganization plan seems to infringe upon that court order.
The Trump administration contends that the plan was already in progress when the president issued the order, claiming there’s no violation. US District Judge Susan Illston has not yet delivered a ruling.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce commented on Tuesday that Rubio’s directive “wasn’t unexpected.”
“This was a cable informing our posts exactly what they anticipated hearing, which is that those positions were being eliminated. So it wasn’t a surprise. It’s nothing new,” she stated. “And it is precisely what we indicated in February and March of this year.”
Rubio directed embassies to adhere to the department’s plan “to eliminate all USAID overseas positions” by September 30.
The dismissal of all remaining USAID staffers overseas is among the final steps in dismantling the US aid agency, alongside the termination of over 10,000 staffers and contractors by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. They had identified USAID as one of their primary targets for elimination.
