Senior Official at State Dept. Defends Staff Cuts: ‘Must Move at the Speed of Relevance’

Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas said that the complex bureaucracy of the department is unsustainable.

The U.S. State Department building in Washington on July 11, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP) via Getty Images)

A senior State Department official told members of Congress on July 15 that recent layoffs at the department were necessary because the complex bureaucracy was unsustainable.

Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas said the cuts were needed because the department “must move at the speed of relevance.”