WASHINGTON – US President, Donald Trump seems to be tightening the rules for immigrants at one end while at the other end, he is determined to cut back on spending even if it takes closing diplomatic and consular facilities overseas.
In a leaked document obtained by the CNN, it has been revealed that the administration is mulling to close over two dozen embassies and consulates abroad.
Although there is no official confirmation, the report aired by top media outlet highlights that the administration was exploring the possibility of cutting down its diplomatic presence abroad.
The internal State Department document recommends reducing the footprint at the US diplomatic missions in Somalia and Iraq besides resizing other diplomatic outposts.
The efforts come amid Trump’s aide, Elon Musk’s struggle to reduce the size of the bureaucracy through Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE; it is unclear whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved the proposed closure.
The document recommends closing 10 embassies and 17 consulates in different regions of the world. As far as the embassies are concerned, the document suggests shutting down embassies in Malta, Luxembourg, Lesotho, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
Regarding the US consulates, the document mentions closing five consulates in France, two in Germany, two in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one in the United Kingdom, one in South Africa and one in South Korea.
The alternate after shutting down operations has been proposed in the form of covering the duties of the embassies through outposts in neighboring countries.
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, the White House, Oval Office or no official source has confirmed the closure of the facilities at the moment though the Trump administration has announced ambassadorial nominees for Malta and Luxembourg embassies – the embassies recommended for closure.
Embassies and consulates serve as key centres for any country and provide services like visa processing and assistance. The embassies are also used for transmitting on-ground reports to the federal government for any adjustments in foreign policy.
The document also highlights that “posts were evaluated based on feedback from regional bureaus and the inter-agency, consular workload, cost per USDH (US direct hire) billet, condition of facilities, and security ratings.” It also mentions that regarding the resizing, US missions in Japan and Canada “could serve as a model large mission by consolidating consulate support into a specialized unit” in larger posts.
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has also not confirmed or denied the internal document as of now and considering the pace with which the Trump administration is moving forward, it might take a few days for situation to be clear for everyone.
