Key points
- Reduction could see about 30 US missions shut
- Proposed cuts are outlined in a so-called “Passback”
- Proposal gives an indication of the Trump administration’s priorities
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump’s administration wants to slash the State Department budget by about half, Reuters reported, a reduction that could see about 30 US missions shut and steep cuts to foreign aid.
The proposed cuts of nearly $30 billion in fiscal 2026 are outlined in a so-called “Passback,” the response by the White House budget office – the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – to State Department funding requests for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on October 1, according to Reuters. The internal document was first reported by the Washington Post.
Trump administration’s priorities
As part of the plan – which is yet to be finalised – the administration is considering a recommendation to close at least 27 US missions largely in Africa and in Europe, according to Reuters. Ten of those missions are embassies and the rest are consulates.
AP reported that the proposal, which was presented to the State Department last week and is still in a highly preliminary phase, is not expected to pass muster with either the department’s leadership or Congress, which will ultimately be asked to vote on the entire federal budget in the coming months.
Though the proposal is preliminary, it gives an indication of the Trump administration’s priorities and coincides with massive job and funding cuts across the federal government, from Health and Human Services and the Education Department to the US Agency for International Development, according to AP.
The State Department, the White House and the OMB did not respond immediately to a request for comment, according to Reuters.
