US to Close Consulates in Five Countries, Including Indonesia

The United States is preparing to close a number of foreign consulates in five countries as part of Donald Trump’s leadership drive to slash what is deemed an overly bloated government bureaucracy. The US federal government has overall experienced significant budget cuts since Trump returned to office, with the State Department itself carrying out mass layoffs last year. The State Department has now notified Congress of its plan to close five overseas missions, a rare step in reducing America’s global diplomatic footprint, according to sources familiar with the notification. In a notice sent to congressional committees last week, the State Department stated it plans to close its diplomatic posts in St. George’s, Grenada; Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; Douala, Cameroon; and Winnipeg, Canada. Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters the plan is part of a broader push by the Republican president to transform the US bureaucracy to align with his ‘America First’ agenda.