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

A rally is expected, with supporters “clapping out” departing State Department employees and protesting the layoffs at 4 p.m. Friday.

The Trump administration is pressing ahead with an unprecedented overhaul of its diplomatic corps, a move critics say will undermine ability to defend and promote U.S. interests abroad.

Videos show emotional scenes as tearful State Department employees emerge to applause from colleagues after being abruptly fired.

The State Department will lay off more than 1,300 people as part of a broad restructuring plan, Reuters is reporting. The layoffs will affect 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers, according to Reuters, which said it has seen an internal notice. The Associated Press is reporting the same number.

U.S. diplomats in Washington are bracing for cuts to the State Department workforce, with dismissal notices expected to hit inboxes as soon as Friday, according to three State Department officials with knowledge of the plans.

The State Department will start sending notices to members of its workforce impacted by the reorganization soon, the agency's top official for management said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump's administration moves ahead with its plans to overhaul the U.

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.