The United States is looking to close nearly 30 overseas embassies and consulates, reports CNN. According to internal State Department documents obtained by CNN, the Trump administration is eyeing a change in its diplomatic presence abroad.
According to the report, the document recommends reducing the footprint at the US diplomatic missions in Somalia and Iraq, the two countries that have been key to the US counterterrorism efforts.
CNN reports that the changes come amid a broader expected overhaul of the US’ diplomatic agency as the Trump administration, spurred by the Elon Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency, makes dramatic efforts to shrink the federal government. However, it is still unclear if Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed off on the proposed closures.
According to the document, a total of 10 embassies and 17 consulates are likely to be shut. Several posts in Europe and Africa, though they also include ones in Asia and the Caribbean. They also include the embassies in Malta, Luxembourg, Lesotho, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.
The list includes 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.
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce didn’t comment on the internal documents.
“I would suggest that you check with the White House and the President of the US as they continue to work on their budget plan and what they submit to congress,” Bruce said.
“The kinds of numbers and what we tend to see is reporting that is early or wrong, based on leaked documents from somewhere unknown,” he further said.
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