President Trump walks to board Air Force One prior to departure from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday en route to New Jersey for the weekend.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump has directed significant reductions to the White House National Security Council, resulting in the dismissal of numerous policy experts on Friday, as per one of the officials who was affected and spoke to NPR.
The official revealed that the layoffs were sudden and staff members were informed at 4:30 p.m. to leave by 5 p.m. “We’re all talking among ourselves,” the official mentioned, requesting anonymity due to the situation’s sensitivity. The cuts were substantial, with the Middle East section seeing a reduction from 10 staffers to five.
The aim of the restructuring is to eliminate bureaucracy and redundancy, with most departments and agencies shifting their operations back to their respective organizations, according to a second source familiar with the plans who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity.
Following the reductions, the NSC will remain at a similar size to the end of Trump’s first term, the source indicated. Requests for comments from the White House and National Security Council representatives went unanswered.
The NSC, predominantly staffed by policy experts on loan from various government entities, offers information and guidance to the president on major diplomatic and security matters. However, its role has diminished in Trump’s second term.
Instead, Trump has increasingly relied on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other cabinet members for foreign policy decisions, rather than seeking recommendations from the NSC.
On May 1, Trump essentially removed his national security adviser Mike Waltz — the NSC head — in a significant shake-up of his top officials. He announced his intention to nominate Waltz as the ambassador to the United Nations.
Rubio has been overseeing the NSC in a highly unconventional dual role. This change occurred after Waltz inadvertently included a journalist in a private text chat discussing military plans for U.S. strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.
