Impacted units in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy include the Office of Bilateral and Regional Affairs and Office of Strategy, Programs and Communications.

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.

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - 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.

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.

State Department to release letter to all employees Thursday evening informing them that it's officially moving to implement “targeted reduction in domestic workforce.”

The State Department is firing more than 1,300 people on Friday as part of a dramatic overhaul of the agency, according to an internal notice seen by CNN.

In connection with the departmental reorganization … the department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities.”

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.