A show of support amid mass layoffs at the State Department

The Star

The State Department began firing more than 1,350 U.S-based employees on Friday (July 11) 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.   WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00The United States State Department terminated over 1,350 U.S.-based employees on Friday

00:08as part of a sweeping overhaul under President Donald Trump's administration.

00:13The layoffs, which affect 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers based in the U.S.,

00:22come amid multiple global crises, including Russia's war in Ukraine,

00:26the ongoing Gaza conflict, and heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.

00:34This is also self-sabotage, pulling people back from the front lines, and we're really making the most.

00:40Now that we have the tensions in the Middle East, ascendance, China, and aggressive Russia,

00:47what are we doing pulling back the people who know how to deal with these tensions in the world?

00:52It's important to support the people who've worked so hard for this country and for our foreign policy.

01:00And so, while I hope that their firing, which I consider illegal, is going to be somehow retracted,

01:10it's important to let them know today that we're here for them, and we appreciate that they've given their lives.

01:18And I know, because I gave 30 years of my life to help America's interests overseas.

01:25We need to do everything we can to stop what's happening right now.

01:29That has to happen in the courts. It has to happen in the Congress.

01:32But most of all, this is what gives me great hope, it has to happen in communities all over the country.

01:39And people are standing up like you are right now.

01:43And what dictators and authoritarians and bullies want, is they want people to go away.

01:49They want them to be quiet. They want them to go quietly into the night.

01:54But real patriots, they stand up at moments like this.

01:58The State Department is cutting nearly 3,000 U.S.-based jobs, including voluntary departures,

02:04as part of efforts to focus on diplomatic priorities by reducing redundant roles.

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