Washington (Europe Brief News): A draft executive order from the United States President Trump’s administration that is said to be shared among US diplomats suggests a significant overhaul of the State Department, which includes severe cuts to operations in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as to the envoys and bureaus focusing on climate, refugees, human rights, democracy, and gender equality.
The draft order, consisting of 16 pages and undated, seems to be ready for President Donald Trump to sign outlines plans that would significantly alter the department that involves near-total closing of U.S. embassies throughout Southern Africa and the closure of embassies and consulates across the continent, According to U.S. officials and a copy of the document
The New York Times first to disclose details about the draft. As reported by Bloomberg, which has reviewed a version of the 16-page draft, if modifications are implemented, these would represent one of the most extensive reorganizations of the department since its establishment in 1789.
The executive order aims to enforce “a disciplined reorganization” of the State Department and to “streamline mission delivery” while eliminating “waste, fraud, and abuse,” as indicated in a copy of the draft obtained by The New York Times. The document suggests that Donald Trump may sign the order this week, with the proposed changes scheduled to take effect by 1 October, as reported by The New York Times.
Has the Trump administration denied or confirmed the authenticity of the draft executive order?
There are no signs that U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio or his senior advisors have approved the document, although they have been engaged in reorganizing the State Department. Rubio posted a brief remark on social media following the publication of this article, labeling it as “fake news.”
As reported by the NYT, both the State Department and the White House National Security Council did not respond to inquiries regarding executive order, early Sunday prior to the publication of their article. Additionally, CNBC also said that the White House did not promptly reply to their request for comment on the draft order.
What changes to the State Department are proposed in the draft executive order?
The draft order that was leaked on Sunday proposes the elimination of the Bureau of African Affairs. Additionally, the draft suggests reducing the number of offices at the State Department’s headquarters that focus on climate change, refugee matters, the Bureau of International Organizations, and the Office of Global Women’s Issues.
It remains unclear who put together the document or which phase of internal discussions regarding the restructuring of the State Department it represents. This is one of several recent proposals for changes within the department, and discussions within the administration occur daily regarding potential actions.
As per report certain aspects of the draft executive order might be modified before it undergoes the final review by the White House or prior to it being signed by President Trump, if he chooses to proceed.
The proposed order also mandates the elimination of offices and roles within the department that address climate, women’s issues, democracy, human rights, migration, and criminal justice.
Along with the merging of embassies and consulates, the order would bring about significant changes to the department’s hiring practices.
The draft executive order proposes the discontinuation of the Foreign Service exam for prospective diplomats and introduces new hiring criteria that emphasize “alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.”
Additionally, it states that any current Foreign Service officers or civil service staff who are unwilling to participate in the new regional organizational structure or “serve the interests of the administration” may voluntarily go for separation from the department through a one-time buyout and transition program until September 30.
A high-ranking diplomatic official in Africa mentioned that the information spread within the State Department regarding planned Foreign Service reforms will be less extensive than what is outlined in the document.
The workforce of the U.S. State Department consists of 13,000 Foreign Service members, 11,000 civil service employees, and 45,000 locally hired staff working at over 270 diplomatic missions around the globe, as reported on the U.S. State Department’s website.
The proposed elimination of the Bureau of African Affairs stands out as a major change since this entity maintains sub-Saharan African policy. The proposal recommends transforming the Bureau of African Affairs into a smaller office of African affairs which would function through the National Security Council. The office would focus on carrying out
“coordinated counterterrorism efforts” together with “strategic extraction and trade of essential natural resources.”
According to the proposal all “nonessential” sub-Saharan African embassies and consulates would close down by October 1, 2025. The document mentions that diplomats would receive instructions to undertake specific mission-focused deployments across African territories.
The suggested reorganization aims to eliminate regional bureaus that assist in formulating and implementing policy across much of the world. As outlined in the order, the existing regional bureaus would be merged into four “regional corps”:
- Eurasia corps, which encompasses Europe, Russia, and Central Asia;
- Mid-East corps, covering Arab nations, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan;
- Latin America corps, which includes Central America, South America, and the Caribbean; and
- Indo-Pacific corps, comprising East and Southeast Asia, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives.
According to the document,
“Diplomatic relations with Canada will be managed by a notably smaller team designated as the North American Affairs Office (NAAO) within the Office of the Secretary.”
This restructuring entails a significant reduction in the size of the US embassy in Ottawa, the capital.
The draft order also suggests limiting Fulbright scholarships to only those students pursuing master’s degrees in national security. Additionally, it states that The department intends to cut their relationship with Howard University because they currently help recruit candidates for discontinued Rangel and Pickering fellowships. The fellowships operated to open pathways for minority students to join the Foreign Service immediately after obtaining their degrees.
According to a report from The New York Times, A draft executive order is one of multiple internal documents circulating within the administration that presents proposed reforms for the State Department. Another memo proposes a nearly 50 percent reduction in the agency’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Additionally, another internal memo suggests the closure of 10 embassies and 17 consulates.
