Senior State Division officers have drawn up plans to shut a dozen consulates abroad by this summer time and are contemplating shutting down many extra missions, in what could possibly be a blow to the U.S. authorities’s efforts to construct partnerships and collect intelligence, American officers say.
The division additionally plans to put off many native residents who work for its tons of of missions. These staff make up two-thirds of the company’s work power, and in lots of nations they type the muse of U.S. diplomats’ information of their environments.
The shrinking is a part of each President Trump’s bigger slashing of the federal authorities and his “America First” international coverage, by which the USA ends or curtails once-important methods of exercising world affect, together with via democracy, human rights and aid work.
The strikes come at a time when China, the primary rival of America, has overtaken the United States in variety of world diplomatic posts. China has cast robust ties throughout nations, particularly in Asia and Africa, and exerts better energy in worldwide organizations.
Any broad shutdowns of missions, particularly total embassies, would hinder the work of huge components of the federal authorities and probably compromise U.S. nationwide safety.
Embassies home officers from the navy, intelligence, legislation enforcement, well being, commerce, commerce, treasury and different companies, all of whom monitor developments within the host nation and work with native officers to counter every little thing from terrorism to infectious illness to collapsing currencies.
The prospect of broad cuts has already generated some nervousness throughout the Central Intelligence Company. The overwhelming majority of undercover American intelligence officers work out of embassies and consulates, posing as diplomats, and the closure of diplomatic posts would cut back the C.I.A.’s choices for the place to place its spies.
The cuts come because the State Division is hemorrhaging senior employees members by way of voluntary resignations, and a hiring freeze means the work power is shrinking via attrition. A present five-week course primarily for senior profession diplomats, together with ambassadors, selecting to retire has about 160 folks in it, one of many largest cohorts of retiring officers in current reminiscence, one American official mentioned.
About 700 staff — 450 of them profession diplomats — have handed in resignation papers within the first two months of this 12 months, the official mentioned. That’s an astonishing fee: Earlier than 2025, about 800 folks had resigned over a whole 12 months.
The efforts to chop diplomatic posts and abroad staffing are a part of an inner marketing campaign to scale back the State Division’s operations price range, maybe by as a lot as 20 %, in keeping with two U.S. officers with information of the evolving discussions. Like others who spoke for this text, they mentioned the delicate plans on the situation of anonymity.
The potential cuts and associated proposals may evolve as inner debate continues.
The method has been accelerated by a crew led by Elon Musk, which has embedded itself in authorities companies within the hunt for what it calls authorities waste. One member of the crew, Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old engineer who publicly goes by “Large Balls,” is within the State Division serving to to direct the price range cuts on the company. Its price range and worker numbers are tiny in contrast with these of the Pentagon.
A memo circulating throughout the division proposes closing a dozen consulates, primarily in Western Europe, in keeping with three U.S. officers who’ve seen or been briefed on the memo. That motion is happening as Mr. Trump distances the USA from its democratic allies in Europe in favor of strengthening relations with Russia.
The US’ 271 world diplomatic posts lag behind China’s 274, however the USA presently has an edge in Europe, in keeping with a study by the Lowy Institute.
The State Division notified two congressional committees final month of the closures. And on Monday, division officers advised the committees that additionally they deliberate to shut a consulate in Gaziantep, Turkey, which has been a hub for U.S. officers to work with refugees from neighboring Syria and humanitarian support teams there.
These consulates are small operations, normally with one or two American diplomats and a employees of native residents. However they assist accumulate and disseminate data in locations away from capitals, and concern visas.
In mid-February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio despatched a memo to chiefs of mission, who’re normally ambassadors, telling them to make sure that staffing at abroad posts was “saved to the minimal essential to implement the president’s international coverage priorities.” He additionally mentioned any positions left vacant for 2 years needs to be abolished, mentioned a U.S. official who has seen the memo.
A cable despatched from Washington on Wednesday to world missions tells all staff to search for “waste, fraud and abuse,” the phrase that Mr. Musk makes use of to justify his deep cuts throughout the federal government. Officers are advised to assist with Mr. Musk’s mission by reviewing all contracts that value $10,000 to $250,000, mentioned a U.S. official who has seen the cable.
That might contribute to a proposed slashing of as much as 20 % of the State Division’s working price range. The U.S. official mentioned the phrase “throughout the board” cuts has been used, however it’s unclear what which means. Underneath one proposal, the work of shuttered embassies could possibly be absorbed by one other embassy in the identical area, or by a regional mission hub.
The plan to shut a dozen consulates primarily in Western Europe is extra concrete. State Division officers have shared a listing with Congress, although it may nonetheless change. The checklist consists of consulates in Florence, Italy; Strasbourg, France; Hamburg, Germany; and Ponta Delgada, Portugal. It additionally features a consulate in Brazil, in keeping with a U.S. official who has seen the checklist. Some particulars of the deliberate closures had been reported earlier by Politico.
“The State Division continues to evaluate our world posture to make sure we’re greatest positioned to handle fashionable challenges on behalf of the American folks,” the company mentioned in an announcement on Thursday when requested in regards to the varied proposed adjustments.
In his remarks to staff on his first day on the division, Mr. Rubio mentioned that he valued the diplomatic corps, however that “there will probably be adjustments.”
“The adjustments aren’t meant to be harmful; they’re not meant to be punitive,” he mentioned. “The adjustments will probably be as a result of we have to be a Twenty first-century company that may transfer, by a cliché that’s utilized by many, on the pace of relevance.”
Since then, Mr. Rubio has overseen drastic international support cuts and allowed Mr. Musk and Pete Marocco, a divisive political appointee, to fireplace or place on depart 1000’s of staff at the USA Company for Worldwide Growth, a sister company to the State Division. That has raised doubts amongst diplomats over Mr. Rubio’s dedication.
The unease amongst diplomats is additional fueled by the truth that they’ve seen no signal that Mr. Rubio has tried to push again towards Mr. Trump’s efforts to weaken democratic Ukraine and embrace Russia, which may sign a broader acquiescence to White Home directives. Diplomats have famous a viral photo of Mr. Rubio slouched stone-faced on a sofa within the Oval Workplace final Friday as Mr. Trump shouted at Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.
Workers within the State Division’s Overseas and Civil Providers are bracing for rounds of layoffs. The division has about 76,000 staff, with 50,000 of these native residents overseas. Of the remainder, about 14,000 are educated diplomats who rotate abroad, referred to as Overseas Service officers, and 10,000 are members of the Civil Service and work largely out of Washington.
The chiefs of mission had been requested by senior division officers to submit a listing by mid-February of the naked minimal variety of native residents they would wish to take care of mission operations, a U.S. official mentioned.
Diplomats and civil servants could possibly be pushed out via reduction-in-force orders, a mechanism that authorities companies can use to put off staff. One other U.S. official mentioned these sorts of orders are purported to take note of seniority and job efficiency.
In current weeks, a listing of 700 Civil Service staff who probably could possibly be fired circulated throughout the division, however to date solely 18 who had been on probationary standing have been let go, a U.S. official mentioned.
One try to chop staff has been rolled again for now. In early February, the division issued orders to contracting corporations to finish the work of 60 contractors within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. The businesses put the employees, who embrace tech and space specialists, on unpaid depart. However after inner discussions, the bureau requested most or all of them to return this week.
High officers are discussing consolidating components of the division. One proposal would downgrade, via a merger, the democracy and human rights bureau in addition to bureaus engaged on counternarcotics and refugee and migration points. The division’s workplace of international support and the tiny remnants of U.S.A.I.D. can be put underneath the identical umbrella.
Officers have additionally proposed merging a number of the division’s regional bureaus. These are run by assistant secretaries in Washington and oversee coverage and operations throughout massive swaths of the globe. The bureaus are central to American diplomacy.
