Trump administration allegedly drafts plan to restructure State Department operations

A draft executive order from the Trump administration proposes sweeping changes to the State Department, including cutting most of its Africa operations and closing embassies and consulates across the region by October 1.

The proposal calls for eliminating offices focused on climate change, democracy, human rights and refugee issues. It also outlines a reorganization plan to replace regional bureaus with four specialized “corps” covering Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Indo-Pacific.

Additionally, the order recommends ending the foreign service exam and introducing new hiring criteria aligned with President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. The department would reduce staff by offering buyouts to foreign and civil service officers.

Fulbright scholarships would shift to national security fields, while diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)- linked fellowships, including ones for historically Black Howard University, would be eliminated.

These proposals face internal debates, and many are likely to spark lawsuits or require Congressional approval before implementation.

However, the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have called reporting on the draft document “fake.”