The US State Department has notified Congress of plans to shut five diplomatic missions across Asia, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, as the second Trump administration presses ahead with broad spending cuts to federal agencies.
The closures will affect posts in Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; St George's, Grenada; Douala, Cameroon; and Winnipeg, Canada. The Canadian consulate in Nagoya already shut its doors on 1 August, according to the Canadian embassy in Tokyo. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the downsizing as necessary to restructure the department's budget, while the White House budget office has reportedly pushed for up to 30 closures.
China maintains a diplomatic presence in three of the five affected locations — St George's, Nagoya and Medan. More than half of US ambassadorial posts worldwide remain unfilled, and the department dismissed over 1,300 employees last year. The closures mark a reversal from the Biden era, which saw new missions opened across the Pacific.