US State Department plans to close European consulates, cut workforce
What's the story
The US State Department is reportedly gearing up for a major cut in its global workforce and shutting down a number of consulates, mostly in Western Europe.
It is also looking to potentially merge a number of its expert bureaus at its headquarters in Washington that work in areas like human rights to combat human trafficking.
The possible closures may impact smaller consulates in Germany, France, and Italy.
Diplomatic changes
Potential impact on US diplomatic footprint
Leipzig, Hamburg, Dusseldorf in Germany; Bordeaux and Strasbourg in France; and Florence are some of the consulates being considered for closure, US officials said.
However, the decision is not set in stone as some staff members are pushing for their continuation.
The department has also notified Congress about its plan to shut its branch in Gaziantep, Turkey.
"The state department continues to assess our global posture to ensure we are best positioned to address modern challenges," a department spokesperson said.
Workforce details
State Department's global presence and workforce
The US State Department runs more than 270 diplomatic missions across the globe, employing nearly 70,000 people.
Last month, Reuters reported that US missions throughout the world were asked to look at lowering US and locally employed staff by at least 10% amid cost-cutting campaign across the US federal workforce by Elon Musk-led DOGE.
Trump had repeatedly pledged to "clean out" what he refered to as "the deep state" by firing disloyal bureaucrats during his electoral campaign.
Data
US firms slashed 172,017 jobs last month
According to a new report published on Thursday by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, US firms slashed 172,017 jobs last month. This represents a whopping 245% increase over January and the largest monthly total since July 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic sent shockwaves through the economy. It was also the worst February for layoffs since 2009, following the global financial crisis. Federal job cuts were a big contributor, with 62,242 layoffs across 17 government organizations.