A draft of an executive order from the Trump administration proposes significant restructuring of the State Department, including the elimination of nearly all operations in Africa and the closure of embassies and consulates across the continent, according to American officials and a copy of the draft.
The draft also suggests cutting offices at State Department headquarters that focus on climate change, refugee issues, and democracy and human rights concerns.
The origin of the document and its current status within internal discussions on State Department restructuring remain unclear. It is one of several recent proposals for changes, with ongoing internal conversations among administration officials regarding potential actions.
Some ideas in the draft have been discussed among U.S. officials recently, but it is uncertain how many will be implemented or how actively the draft is being pursued.
Changes proposed in the draft executive order could be modified before final review by the White House or before President Trump decides to sign it.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to the article as “fake news” on social media, although there is no evidence that he or his aides approved the document. They have been engaged in a reorganization of the State Department.
Neither the State Department nor the White House National Security Council responded to requests for comment regarding the potential signing of the executive order.
The draft aims to impose “a disciplined reorganization” of the State Department to “streamline mission delivery” while reducing “waste, fraud and abuse,” with a deadline for changes set for October 1.
Some proposed changes would require congressional notification and could face challenges from lawmakers, particularly regarding the closure of diplomatic missions and an overhaul of the diplomatic corps, which may also lead to legal disputes.
The document began circulating among current and former U.S. diplomats and officials recently.
Major structural changes would likely involve layoffs of both foreign service officers and civil service employees, with plans to place many workers on paid leave and issue termination notices.
The draft calls for the elimination of the foreign service exam for aspiring diplomats and introduces new hiring criteria based on alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.
It also emphasizes the expanded use of artificial intelligence for drafting documents and conducting policy development and operational planning.
The proposed reorganization would eliminate regional bureaus and replace them with four new “corps” focused on different global regions.
One of the most significant changes would be the dissolution of the bureau of African affairs, which would be replaced by a smaller special envoy office reporting to the White House National Security Council, focusing on limited issues such as counterterrorism and resource trade.
The draft proposes closing all “nonessential” embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa by October 1, with diplomats deployed on targeted missions.
Operations in Canada would be consolidated under a new North American affairs office, led by a reduced team, and the U.S. embassy in Ottawa would be significantly downsized.
Additionally, the draft suggests eliminating several bureaus, including those overseeing democracy and human rights, refugees and migration, and international organizations, along with the position of the special envoy for climate.
A new position, under secretary for transnational threat elimination, would be created to oversee counternarcotics policy and related issues.
The Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance would absorb functions from the United States Agency for International Development, which has faced significant cuts recently.
The draft also proposes a shift from a generalist global rotation model to a regionally specialized career service framework for personnel, allowing applicants to choose their desired regional corps during the application process.
Buyouts would be offered to foreign service and civil service officers until September 30, as outlined in the draft.
The State Department currently employs approximately 80,000 individuals, including 50,000 local citizens abroad, 14,000 foreign service officers, and 13,000 civil service members primarily based in Washington.
Furthermore, the draft calls for narrowing Fulbright scholarships to those pursuing master’s level studies in national security and terminating contracts with Howard University for recruiting candidates for fellowships aimed at underrepresented groups.
This draft executive order is part of several internal documents proposing changes to the State Department, including a memo suggesting a nearly 50 percent budget cut for the agency in the next fiscal year and another proposing the closure of 10 embassies and 17 consulates.