Summary

The State Department plans to close several consulates in Western Europe and reduce its global workforce by at least 10%, while potentially merging expert bureaus at its Washington headquarters.

Consulates in Germany, France, Italy, and Turkey’s Gaziantep are under consideration for closure.

These cuts, part of Trump and Musk’s efforts to gut federal agencies, are claimed to align the bureaucracy with Trump’s “America First” agenda.

Critics warn these reductions, along with dismantling USAID, risk undermining American leadership globally and creating opportunities for China and Russia to expand influence.

  • GingaNinga
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    322 days ago

    Just letting go of all that soft power and goodwill built up over the decades eh? I honestly can’t believe he can just bulldoze the entire world order so easily with zero resistance its pretty fucked. Oh well, this is what america voted for, you guys earned it. Hopefully the rest of the world can adapt and work together in a world with a hostile US.

    • @Bwoj
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      15
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      As an American, it’s a shame we’re giving up a position of leadership of the free world. I do think the world will be better off if other nations step in. We’re actually a pretty shitty country and it’s a fluke of history we didn’t take a turn to fascism a long time ago.

    • @[email protected]
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      fedilink
      22 days ago

      Oh well, this is what america voted for

      22% of America, if those were even real votes, to be clear. Yeah, our voting system also needs fixing.

      • Ech
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        12 days ago

        And 40+% deciding it didn’t matter who won. Their choice led to this just as much as that 22%.