Trump draft order calls for drastic restructure of state department

Summary

A draft Trump administration executive order proposes a sweeping restructure of the US State Department, including drastic cuts to sub-Saharan Africa operations and elimination of key bureaus like climate envoy, refugees, human rights, and gender equality. The plan would reorganize the department into four regional bureaus, close many embassies, alter diplomatic career paths, and change scholarships, while also ending diversity initiatives. Despite these changes, the State Department disputes the report as fake news, though critics argue it undermines US commitment to multilateralism.

Additional Summaries

A draft Trump administration executive order is reported to drastically restructure the U.S. State Department, slashing operations in sub-Saharan Africa, eliminating key envoy roles on climate, refugees, human rights, and gender equality, and merging into four regional bureaus. The State Department denies the report as fake, while critics warn of a rejection of multilateralism and significant cuts to diplomatic programs. Meanwhile, other proposals suggest further budget reductions and embassy closures, signaling a major shift in U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration.

The US state department disputed the report, with a spokesperson telling Newsweek that the reporting is “entirely based on a fake document”. Under the changes, the sprawling state department would be reorganized into four regional bureaus covering Indo-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Eurasia. The order is designed to impose “a disciplined reorganization” of the state department and “streamline mission delivery” while cutting “waste, fraud and abuse”, the outlet quoted from the document. But the order is not the only internal document circulating to propose changes to US diplomatic operations. Another proposes a 50% reduction in the state department budget, and a third calls for the cutting 10 embassies and 17 consulates.