A document proposes eliminating “non-essential embassies and consulates in Sub-Saharan Africa.” The State Department said the document was fake.
The Trump administration is considering sweeping changes to the State Department, according to a document obtained by CNBC that lays out what it calls a “disciplined reorganization” of the nation’s diplomatic service.
The Trump administration says the document, first reported by The New York Times as a draft executive order, is not legitimate. “The NYT article is entirely based on a fake document,” a State Department spokesperson told NBC News.
The 16-page document, which is not dated, proposes upending the department, shuttering American embassies across southern Africa and eliminating bureaus that work on issues like democracy and human rights, as well as international organizations like the United Nations.
The document also details an overhaul to the process for selecting and training U.S. diplomats.
According to the document, the changes are intended to “streamline mission delivery, project American strength abroad, cut waste, fraud, abuse and align the Department with an American First Strategic Doctrine reflecting the priorities of the Executive Branch.”
The document proposes eliminating all “non-essential embassies and consulates in Sub-Saharan Africa” and consolidating regional bureaus around the world.
America’s diplomatic presence in Canada would be cut, according to the document. Going forward, State Department operations in Canada would “fall under a significantly reduced team delegated as the North American Affairs Office” within Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s office.
Asked for comment, the White House directed NBC News to a post on X from Rubio: “This is fake news. The @nytimes falls victim to another hoax.”
NBC News
