According to media reports, the US government is considering drastic cuts in its foreign policy. As US media reported on Tuesday, almost 50 percent of the funds in the US State Department-including almost all funds for international organizations such as UN and NATO. US messages and consulates in Germany, France, Italy or Scotland are also apparently being put to the test.
Die New York Times and the Washington Post Reporting on internal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the budget year 2026 (from October 1), a budget of $ 28.4 billion is under discussion (around 25.2 billion euros) – that would be $ 26 billion or 48 percent less than in the budget year 2025.
Ten messages and 17 consulates affected
According to a report on the online platform Punchbowl News the closure of ten messages and 17 consulates is planned. Among other things, the US general consulates in Düsseldorf and Leipzig could fall victim to the savings measures. Five foreign representatives in France are therefore also on the prank list, including Strasbourg and Lyon. Further closures could affect Italy, Scotland, Luxembourg, Malta, Eritrea and the South Sudan.
According to reports, the project could also affect international peace security missions and education initiatives. The Fulbright scholarship, one of the most prestigious US funding programs, would be affected, it said. The US graduate association AFSA criticized the proposals as “dangerous”.
Trump has the last word
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the plans were not finally coordinated. US President Donald Trump has the last word for the budget proposals to the congress. According to the reports, it is unclear whether Trump’s Foreign Minister Marco Rubio has approved the outlines outlined. As part of the austerity policy announced by Trump, all government departments are called to submit their plans for cuts this week.
The United States has already resolved its development aid organization USAID under Trump and deleted 83 percent of its programs. Among other things, the UN complains about dramatic consequences for global aid programs, for example, against infectious diseases.