Iryna Pohorila08:20, 24.05.25

The scope of the once powerful body is also undergoing significant changes.

Dozens of staff have been fired from the White House National Security Council as President Donald Trump moves to reduce the size and scope of the once-powerful body.

Reuters reports this , citing a number of sources. “Employees who deal with most major geopolitical issues, from Ukraine to Kashmir, were fired on Friday evening,” the sources said, adding that many left in tears.

The publication noted that the dismissals occurred just a few weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio replaced Mike Walz as national security adviser.

The publication noted that the restructuring of the National Security Council, which Trump has envisioned, will further reduce the council’s influence, transforming it from a powerful policy-making body into a small organization focused more on implementing the president’s agenda than on shaping it, the sources said.

In practice, the move is expected to give more authority to the State Department, the Pentagon and other departments and agencies dealing with diplomacy, national security and intelligence matters, the sources said.

The Trump administration’s goal is to reduce the size of the National Security Council to a few dozen people. Four sources familiar with the plans said they expect the final staff size to be about 50.

“The Council is the primary body used by presidents to coordinate national security strategy. Its staff often make key decisions about the U.S. approach to the world’s most volatile conflicts and play a key role in ensuring America’s own security,” the publication explained.

The agency had more than 300 employees under Democratic President Joe Biden, but even before these cuts, it was significantly smaller under Trump. The staff cut from the council will be reassigned to other government positions, two sources told Reuters.

As part of the restructuring, some council departments will be merged with other departments or eliminated entirely. Most of the remaining departments will have only a few employees, the sources added.

Among the departments that could cease operations are those dealing with African affairs and multilateral organizations such as NATO, three sources said.

Trump and Harvard

The day before, it became known that, at Trump’s request, Harvard was deprived of the right to teach foreign students. In particular, Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem ordered the cancellation of Harvard’s certificate required for the student exchange program.

This means that students from other countries will no longer be able to study at Harvard. And those who are already studying there will be forced to transfer to another university or lose their right to stay in the United States.

(c)UNIAN 2025