Entire embassies to be closed as Trump looks to cut State Dept. budget by nearly half

The State Department is expected propose the elimination of entire embassies and consulates around the world as the U.S. government looks to shrink its diplomatic footprint.

Punchbowl News obtained a document showing the department will file a fiscal year 2026 budget proposal due to the Office of Management and Budget that calls for the consolidation of outposts in Canada, Japan and some other countries and the “resizing” consulates in major cities to “FLEX-style light consulates.”

“Posts were evaluated based on feedback from regional bureaus and the interagency, consular workload, cost per [U.S. Direct Hire] billet, condition of facilities, and security ratings,” the memo states.

Donald Trump's administration will close 10 embassies and 17 consulates, including those in Eritrea, Luxembourg, Malta and South Sudan, and all of those operations will be folded into embassies in nearby countries.

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The State Department will call for the closures of five consulates in France and two in Germany, as well as shutting down operations in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Florence, Italy, while consulates in Montreal and Halifax, Canada, would be downsized to “provide ‘last-mile’ diplomacy with minimal local support," and U.S. missions to international organizations, including OECD and UNESCO, would be folded into U.S. embassies and consulates in the cities where they're located.

Officials also want to close the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in Iraq’s capital, saying it was "by far" the most expensive State Department mission, as the Trump administration looks to cut the department's budget by nearly half.

An internal memo found an early proposal for the next fiscal year would leave a total budget of $28.4 billion for all activities carried out by the State Department and USAID, which represents a cut of $27 billion, or 48 percent, from funding levels approved by Congress for 2025.