White House Cuts National Security Council Staff Over 250 Amid Major Restructuring

The Trump administration has initiated a sweeping overhaul of the White House National Security Council (NSC), drastically reducing its staff from over 300 under the Biden administration to approximately 50, aiming to realign the council with President Trump's "America First" agenda and streamline national security policymaking. This restructuring includes dismissals of dozens of employees, elimination or merging of entire NSC directorates handling major global issues such as Ukraine, Kashmir, and African affairs, and a shift in NSC's role from policy formulation to primarily executing the president's directives. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who replaced Mike Waltz as national security adviser, now leads the NSC and has emphasized reducing perceived bureaucracy and partisan influence within the council. The administration argues that many NSC functions are redundant and better managed by the State and Defense Departments, but critics warn that the downsizing could weaken U.S. strategic depth and limit access to expert policy analysis. The shake-up follows internal unrest including dismissals prompted by far-right activist Laura Loomer, who accused some staff of disloyalty, and the prior firing of Waltz after a sensitive information leak. While some affected personnel will be reassigned to other government roles, the reductions have raised bipartisan concerns about the impact on national security expertise and morale within the NSC.