Rubio Fires 1,353 State Dept Staff, Cuts 92% of USAID Grants in Diplomatic Overhaul

Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated 1,353 State Department employees and cut 92% of USAID foreign assistance grants in a sweeping reorganization. The purge targeted career foreign service officers with expertise in multilateral diplomacy. Former ambassadors warned the simultaneous gutting of diplomatic staff and aid programs would create power vacuums in fragile states and cede U.S. influence to China and Russia.