The Trump administration has crafted a sweeping draft executive order targeting a massive reorganization in the State Department to end wasteful diplomatic spending and eliminate “woke” programs that Americans never asked for.
The draft executive order would slash unnecessary foreign outposts, particularly in Africa, while requiring diplomats to actually represent American interests instead of global agendas pushed by career bureaucrats.
The plan, labeled a “disciplined reorganization” of the State Department, would transform how America conducts diplomacy worldwide.
If implemented, the order would streamline operations by significantly reducing the department’s budget, closing multiple embassies and consulates deemed “nonessential,” and eliminating programs related to climate change, human rights, and refugee issues.
Instead of maintaining costly permanent diplomatic missions in regions of limited strategic importance to the United States, the Trump administration would deploy diplomats on “targeted, mission-driven deployments.”
This approach would be particularly applied to Africa, where the Bureau of African Affairs would be closed entirely, and numerous embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa would be shut down by October 1, redirecting those resources to areas of greater American interest.
Moreover, the proposal would revolutionize diplomatic hiring practices by ending the outdated foreign service exam and establishing new criteria based on whether candidates truly align with the president’s foreign policy vision.
This change addresses a long-standing complaint among conservatives that the State Department operates as a “deep state” entity that continues pushing globalist policies regardless of who sits in the White House.
The plan would sensibly integrate Canada operations into a new North American affairs office with reduced staff under Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
As part of this efficiency measure, the U.S. embassy in Ottawa would be downsized, focusing resources on the immediate border security concerns rather than maintaining oversized diplomatic facilities in a stable neighboring country.
This reorganization reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to fiscal responsibility while maintaining essential diplomatic functions with the northern neighbor.
Trump draft executive order would make sweeping changes to the U.S. State Department https://t.co/g58hGif22z
— CNBC (@CNBC) April 20, 2025
In a decisive move against liberal academic programs that have dominated State Department initiatives, the plan would restrict Fulbright scholarships to master’s students studying national security and end diversity-focused fellowships like the Rangel and Pickering programs.
Howard University scholarship programs would also be canceled as part of the administration’s broader effort to eliminate DEI initiatives that have injected leftist ideologies into government operations at taxpayer expense.
The draft executive order notably includes provisions for voluntary separation, allowing current foreign service officers or civil service personnel who may not align with the new mission to leave through a buyout and transition program until September 30.
Whether this specific order becomes the final order or serves as a framework for a more modest reorganization, the message is clear:
The days of an unaccountable State Department advancing a globalist agenda at the expense of American taxpayers and interests are coming to an end.
