Beware if you travel to these countries. These are the consulates and embassies that Trump wants to close imminently
The Trump administration will reportedly cut back US’ diplomatic footprint as part of its drive to reduce the size of the federal government.
The Trump administration has been working to shrink the federal government and slash spending. Much of the effort has been under the auspices of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, headed by Elon Musk and resulted in the firing of thousands of government employees.
The latest reduction effort would shutter 27 embassies and consulates around the world according a report by The New York Times based on an internal State Department document the outlet obtained.
The move is part of a larger effort to cut the State Department’s budget by up to 20%. At this time it is unclear if Secretary Marco Rubio has signed off on the proposed changes.
State Department plans to shutter nearly 30 US diplomatic missions
These are the ten embassies that the State Department is proposing to close:
Africa
- Central African Republic [C.A.R.]
- Eritrea
- Gambia
- Lesotho
- The Republic of Congo
- South Sudan
Europe
- Luxembourg
- Malta
Caribbean
- Grenada
Indian Ocean
- Maldives
The memo furthermore suggests downsizing or eliminating the US diplomatic footprint in Somalia and closing the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center as well as other cost cutting measures in Iraq. Likewise the plan mulls the idea of “consolidating consulate support into a specialized unit” within a larger post for countries like Canada and Japan that have multiple US missions.
The majority of the consulates slated for closure are in Europe, including locations that are popular tourist destinations for Americans. Below are the 13 consulates that have been proposed to be closed in Europe:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Mostar
- Banja Luka
France
- Bordeaux
- Lyon
- Marseilles
- Rennes
- Strasbourg
Germany
- Düsseldorf
- Leipzig
Greece
- Thessaloniki
Italy
- Florence
Portugal
- Ponta Delgada
Scotland
- Edinburgh
Outside of Europe, the other four consulates that were listed to be closed include Douala, Cameroon; Medan, Indonesia; Durban, South Africa; and Busan, South Korea.
These proposed closures would represent a 10% reduction in US overseas diplomatic missions. It would also mean that China would have more outposts in Europe than the US according to data from the Lowy Institute while at the same falling further behind Beijing diplomatic postings in Africa and East Asia note the Times.
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