Trump administration officials have defended the mass dismissals, saying they are overdue and necessary to make the department leaner and more efficient. Among the employees laid off are more than 100 people who worked in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which is self-funded from passport and visa fees.

The mass firing of State Department employees could significantly impact the Trump administration’s ability to address the priorities it has said it values, multiple former and current department officials told CNN.

A former senior U.S. official said it was “shortsighted” to consolidate the department’s well-respected intelligence arm.

The involuntary staff reductions include 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service employees, according to a notice sent to employees Friday morning.

State Department employees are told not to meddle in foreign elections, in accordance with Trump's emphasis on national sovereignty.

The State Department denied Thursday’s reporting that it shuttered an office dedicated to supporting the families of dead employees working

No State Department official publicly said when the first notices for the planned layoffs would be sent, but the widespread expectation is for the terminations to start as soon as Friday.

Impacted workers and department formers say the loss of knowledge threatens to impair the agency’s science and technology diplomacy.

Employees of the U.S. State Department could receive a layoff notice via email very soon as part of the Trump administration's plan to downsize the government.

If California's legal challenge can't stop the Trump administration from withholding funds, the Education Department said over 100 employees could be affected.