Trump Administration May Shut 30 U.S. Embassies in Global Shake-Up

Washington D.C: According to the CNN the Trump administration is thinking about closing nearly 30 U.S. embassies and consulates in other countries. This idea comes from an internal State Department document that CNN got.

The document also suggests making the U.S. presence smaller in Somalia and Iraq. These two countries are important for U.S. counterterrorism efforts. The plan includes changing the size of other U.S. offices around the world too.

These changes are part of a bigger plan to make the U.S. government smaller. The plan is being pushed by a group called the Department of Government Efficiency, which is supported by Elon Musk. It’s not clear yet if Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved the plan.

The document says 10 embassies and 17 consulates could be closed. Most of these are in Europe and Africa, but some are in Asia and the Caribbean. The embassies on the list include ones in Malta, Luxembourg, Lesotho, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan.

There are also five consulates in France, two in Germany, two in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one in the UK, one in South Africa, and one in South Korea on the list.

The plan says that nearby U.S. embassies could take over the work of the closed ones.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce didn’t confirm the plan or talk about the document. She said reporters should check with the White House and the President, who are still working on the budget. She also said that leaked documents are often wrong or come from unknown sources.

So far, the government has picked new ambassadors for only two of the embassies that might close  Malta and Luxembourg.

In March, CNN already reported that the State Department was starting to close some of the consulates mentioned in this document.

Embassies and consulates are important for the U.S. government. They help Americans who are traveling or living abroad, process visas, and send information back to Washington, D.C. They also help the U.S. deal with other countries, including rivals like China. Most consulates are small and don’t have many workers.

The document says the recommendations came from the State Department’s undersecretary for management. It says the decisions were based on things like feedback from regional offices, how busy each place is, how much each staff member costs, the condition of buildings, and security.

For missions that won’t close but may be changed, the document suggests using Japan and Canada as examples. These countries have big U.S. offices that might be able to combine services to save money and space.

It also suggests using smaller, simpler offices with fewer staff in some countries. In some cases, one leader could manage more than one U.S. mission, like the ones for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and UNESCO in Paris.