WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former federal employees, union officials, and members of Congress held an event before the U.S. Capitol on July 16, 2026, to recognize the one-year anniversary of the State Department layoffs that affected approximately 1,350 people. The gathering highlighted concerns that the reorganization has weakened U.S. foreign policy, diplomatic capacity, and global health response efforts.

At the event, speakers criticized the consequences of the workforce reductions, which followed the Trump administration’s 2025 decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and fold it into the State Department. Megan Fotheringham, former deputy director in USAID's Office of Infectious Disease, held up a plaque commemorating the U.S. response to the 1976 Ebola outbreak in Zaire. “The plaque was given to a USAID foreign service advisor in 1976 after the first recognized Ebola outbreak was contained in Zaire. For me, it represents 50 years of U.S. commitment to stop Ebola at its source before it reaches our shores,” Fotheringham told the crowd.

“This plaque was on my desk during what became USAID's last Ebola response effort. When I was allowed back in my office for 15 minutes to collect my things, this was the very first thing that I grabbed because it is just symbolic of everything that was being lost.”

Her remarks come amid a current Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. Public health experts have argued that folding USAID into the State Department has hindered the U.S. response to such outbreaks. The reorganization eliminated specialized public health infrastructure that had previously coordinated rapid international interventions.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., condemned the layoffs as damaging both to individuals and national interests. “The layoffs were unfair to individuals who had built up experience and careers over a period of time. It disrupted their lives in a way that they should never have had to experience and hurt their families,” Van Hollen said.

“But they would be the first to tell you that, most of all, what it did was hurt our country. It hurt our capacity to advance our interests and values overseas.”

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the administration’s reliance on political appointees over career diplomats in critical negotiations. “Instead of sending someone that's competent that knows how to write a memorandum of understanding, they sent two real estate developers — who have no idea what diplomacy is about — to write an MOU,” Meeks said. His comments referenced special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both real estate developers, who are spearheading peace negotiations with Iran. Kushner is also President Trump's son-in-law.

Speakers at the event cited the Iran peace process as an example of diplomacy hampered by the loss of experienced foreign service staff. Hostilities recently resumed in the war in Iran after the collapse of a ceasefire, raising stakes for effective negotiation. An information panel at the event noted that the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources — originally built to weaken Iran’s oil leverage and keep the Strait of Hormuz open — had been shuttered seven months before a conflict that triggered a spike in gas prices.

In response to the criticism, the State Department has defended the reorganization. A department spokesperson stated that the reductions in force “have not had any negative impact on our ability to respond to operations, our ability to plan and our ability to execute in service to Americans.” The spokesperson added, “In fact, we have been able to respond quicker and more effectively, which was the entire point of the reorg — to empower personnel in the field while allowing us to move at the ‘speed of relevancy.’” The department also highlighted career employees’ roles in responding to 2025 Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean and in upholding a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand.

On the legislative front, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., used the occasion to promote new legislation aimed at facilitating the return of experienced diplomats. The bill would exempt foreign service officers who were involuntarily separated or retired between January 20, 2025, and January 31, 2030, from having to retake the Foreign Service Officer Test. “There’s no reason you have to take the [Foreign Service Officer Test] again when you come back in,” Beyer said. “But I’m sure you’d pass it.”

The July 16 event underscored an ongoing debate over the structure and staffing of U.S. diplomatic and foreign aid institutions. The consolidation of USAID into the State Department and the subsequent layoffs represent a significant shift in how the U.S. engages abroad, with critics warning of degraded capabilities in health emergencies, conflict mediation, and energy security. Supporters argue the changes have streamlined operations and increased responsiveness.

With active crises — including an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa and renewed hostilities in Iran — the effectiveness of the reorganized State Department is being tested in real time. Lawmakers like Beyer are proposing concrete measures to reverse some effects of the workforce cuts, suggesting the policy remains politically and operationally contested more than a year after implementation.