The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed drastic cuts to the State Department’s budget, seeking to reduce funding by almost 50%.
Among the proposed measures are the closure of several overseas diplomatic missions, significant reductions in the number of diplomatic staff, and the elimination of funding for nearly all international organizations, including the United Nations and NATO headquarters, according to officials.
This proposal was presented to the State Department last week and remains in a highly preliminary phase.
It is not anticipated to gain approval from the department’s leadership or from Congress, which will ultimately be responsible for voting on the federal budget in the upcoming months.
Sources familiar with the situation have indicated that the proposal is subject to further reviews before it can be presented to lawmakers.
In the past, Congress has amended or rejected White House budget requests, suggesting that this proposal might face similar challenges.
The proposal signals the Trump administration’s priorities amid significant job and funding cuts across several federal agencies, including Health and Human Services, Education, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Notes regarding the internal meeting on the budget proposal have circulated online among foreign service officers, reaching widespread attention on Monday when the State Department was scheduled to discuss an unrelated reorganization plan with the OMB.
A senior U.S. official described the OMB proposal as “aggressive” regarding cost-cutting.
However, the official emphasized that the proposal is still in its infancy and mirrors the earlier efforts of OMB chief Russell Vought during Trump’s first administration.
Two additional sources corroborated the proposal’s existence, confirming that it originated within the OMB.
An OMB spokesperson, Alexandra McCandless, stated that “no final funding decisions have been made.”
The National Security Council did not respond to requests for comments on the proposed cuts.
During Trump’s first term, OMB’s attempts to significantly reduce the State Department’s budget faced intense pushback on Capitol Hill and largely failed to achieve their goals.
In contrast, Trump’s second administration is moving quickly to diminish the federal government’s footprint, implementing job cuts and funding reductions across various agencies.
It has already dismantled the USAID and aimed to defund other “soft power” institutions critical to foreign policy, such as the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and others targeting regions like the Middle East and Cuba.
As a result of these trends, State Department officials and other insiders are increasingly concerned that the severe proposed cuts might come to fruition.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed that she is “deeply troubled” by the proposed budget cuts.
In a statement, Shaheen noted, “When America First becomes America Alone, our economy, security and prosperity will suffer as adversaries fill the void the Trump Administration leaves behind.”
She added, “Investments in diplomatic programs that promote peace and stability, and advance American national security interests are commonsense priorities that should be reflected in the State Department’s budget request.”
According to the notes from the internal State Department meeting, the budget proposal outlines several specific cuts:
– Halving the foreign assistance funding managed by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which totaled $52 billion in 2024.
– Eliminating more than a quarter of foreign assistance through State and USAID overall, freezing pay for next year, and cutting travel and benefits for U.S. foreign service employees.
– Reducing global health funding, other than small allocations for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, while requiring global health partners to contribute a larger share.
– Cutting off funding to the United Nations, a crucial logistical partner in many global humanitarian efforts, as well as other major non-governmental organizations, including NATO.
– Discontinuing the main office that aids Afghan allies in resettling to escape the Taliban.
– Closing the independent watchdog office aimed at identifying waste and inefficiency in U.S. programs in Afghanistan.
– Cutting various refugee and immigration programs and consolidating them under a new bureau for international humanitarian affairs.
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