U.S. State Department plans to shut five overseas consulates in Canada, Japan and Indonesia

According to a confidential briefing sent to select congressional committees, the U.S. State Department intends to close five overseas missions: the consulate in St George’s, Grenada; the office in Nagoya, Japan; the post in Medan, Indonesia; the facility in Douala, Cameroon; and the consulate in Winnipeg, Canada. The department declined to confirm the plan publicly but emphasized a focus on streamlining America’s diplomatic presence.

The closures represent an uncommon reduction of multiple posts that is not tied to a particular international event. Earlier in the Trump administration, similar efforts aimed at shutting down up to a dozen missions were discussed, with the White House Office of Management and Budget once proposing as many as 30 closures. Some officials argue that smaller consulates are costly and unnecessary, while Democrats and former foreign-policy experts contend that shrinking the diplomatic network could erode U.S. leadership and create openings for rivals such as China and Russia.