President Donald Trump has initiated a sweeping downsizing of the White House’s National Security Council (NSC), dismissing dozens of staff members, placing others on administrative leave, and instructing many detailees to return to their home agencies.
Newsweek reached out to the White House, NSC and State Department outside of normal business hours on Friday evening by email for comment.
Why It Matters
The NSC has undergone a number of changes over the past month, starting with the removal of Mike Waltz as head of the agency following the Signal chat group scandal. Trump has instead nominated Waltz as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, while assigning Secretary of State Marco Rubio to serve as acting adviser.
The administration then placed around 160 aides on administrative leave while officials reviewed staffing to best meet Trump’s goal of downsizing the size and scope of the federal government.
Far-right media personality Laura Loomer has been tied to Trump’s decision to fire Waltz and other aides, although the president has denied that she was the reason for the firings.
What To Know
Trump has initiated a significant overhaul of the NSC that will ultimately cut it down and return a many career appointees back to the home agencies – a move that some have described as a “liquidation” due to the severity of cuts being implemented.
The FT reports that the restructuring was described by one insider as a “liquidation. The news outlet said that Ivan Kanapathy, the NSC’s senior director for Asia, remains in his role, though his China-focused team has been let go.
Along with the Financial Times, CNN and Axios have also confirmed the NSC shake-up, which comes three weeks after Trump removed his first national security adviser, Mike Waltz.
NSC Chief of Staff Brian McCormack informed members of the NSC that they had 30 minutes to remove their belongings and exit the building, which is located next to the White House.
Dennis Wilder, a former top NSC official in George W. Bush‘s administration, told the FT there was “no question that the NSC in the Biden administration had become bloated and was high-handedly trying to implement foreign policy rather than doing its traditional role of co-ordinating the implementation by the rest of the national security establishment.”
What Happens Next
The NSC will continue to operate at a reduced capacity, and it is unclear how the cuts impact its ability to perform its duties.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
Update 5/23/25, 7:53 p.m. ET: This articles has been updated with additional information and context.
Update 5/23/25, 8:00 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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