The Trump administration wants to reduce the budget for diplomacy by half, 17 consulates threatened with closure – Liberation

The project of massive budget cuts for American diplomacy has not been announced publicly, but appears in an internal document, revealed on April 15 speak Washington Post. The memo of the Office of the Management and Budget of the White House figures the budget of the State Department – the equivalent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – for the 2026 fiscal year (from October 2025) to $ 28.4 billion, a reduction of 48 % compared to 2025.

The consequences of these cuts could be numerous: less funding for international organizations, American diplomatic missions and aid programs – even though USAID, the American development aid program, has been widely dismantled by the Trump administration Since February.

The document specifies that the budget for humanitarian aid should be reduced by 54 %, and that for public health by 55 %. Furthermore, funding for the UN and NATO could stop, according to the daily life. Certain organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency or the Organization of International Civil Aviation could escape the cuts.

According to the media Punchbowl Newsthe United States could close ten embassies and 17 consulates, especially in Eritrea, Luxembourg, South Sudan and Malta. Five of the consulates threatened with closure would be in France, in Lyon, Rennes, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Marseille, according to this same media.

The spokesperson for the State Department, Tammy Bruce, has brought no details, contenting herself with recalling that no final decision has been taken for the moment. To be approved, the proposal must go through the congress, whose two chambers are controlled by the Republicans.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not comment on the project explicitly, but welcomed on Tuesday, on X, to still have « Canceled 139 subsidies worth $ 214 million ».