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.

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.

The State Department began firing more than 1,350 U.S.-based employees on Friday as the administration of President Donald Trump presses ahead with an unprecedented overhaul of its diplomatic corps, a move critics say will undermine U.S. ability to defend and promote U.S. interests abroad.

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

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

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

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s plan to downsize a “bloated” department had been on hold after a court ruling.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour the Texas flood devastation and the State Department begins laying employees.

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.

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.

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.