In line with President Trump’s “America First” policy, the US Department of State is preparing to close down some consulates in Europe. American officials are also planning to shut down the consulate in Gaziantep.

According to statements made by several US officials, the Department of State is getting ready to close down several consulates, mostly located in Western Europe, in the coming months with the aim of reducing the global workforce. Officials mentioned that the Department of State is also considering merging expert offices working on human rights, refugees, global criminal justice, women’s issues, and combating human trafficking at its headquarters in Washington. Reuters reported last month that due to an unprecedented cost-cutting effort initiated by Donald Trump and billionaire aide Elon Musk in the US federal workforce, US and locally employed personnel in American missions around the world are being looked at for a reduction of at least 10%. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Trump wants his bureaucracy to be completely in line with his “America First” agenda. Last month, he issued an executive order to renew the US foreign service to ensure the implementation of the foreign policy agenda in a “loyal and effective” manner. During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to remove bureaucrats he deemed disloyal, calling the structure he identified as the “deep state.”

GERMANY, FRANCE, AND ITALY IN THE FRONT LINES German officials indicated that smaller consulates such as Leipzig, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf; Bordeaux and Strasbourg in France; and Florence in Italy are among the consulates that the Department of State is contemplating closing down. They added that due to efforts from some personnel to keep the consulates open, the situation might change.

NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS FOR GAZIANTEP BRANCH Officials stated that on Monday, the Department would notify Congress of their plans to shutter the branch in Gaziantep, where Washington supports humanitarian aid efforts in northern Syria. According to the Department’s website, it operates with a total workforce of around 70,000 in more than 270 diplomatic missions worldwide.