The Donald Trump administration, which has begun a large-scale restructuring of the U.S. federal government, is likely to significantly cut the budget of the State Department, which oversees U.S. foreign policy, according to a report by The Washington Post on the 14th (local time).
According to the WP report, which obtained internal memos from the Trump administration, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plans to reduce the budget for all activities of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to $28.4 billion (approximately 40 trillion won) in the next fiscal year. This represents a reduction of about 48% ($27 billion) from the budget approved by the U.S. Congress for 2025 for the two agencies.
The memo summarizes OMB's plans before the White House submits the budget proposal for 2026 to Congress, and the content regarding the State Department is believed to have been written by senior U.S. diplomats. The final budget proposal is expected to be submitted to Congress by the end of April.
WP noted that "according to the budget proposal specified in the memo, USAID appears to be fully integrated into the State Department," adding that "humanitarian assistance from these agencies will be cut by 54% and the Global Health Fund by 55%." In particular, the budget for supporting international organizations, which is a key function of USAID, is expected to be reduced by approximately 90%.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is the U.S. foreign aid agency, has effectively been on the path to dissolution since the Trump administration took office. Until earlier this year, about 10,000 employees who were conducting international aid projects around the world ceased operations, and last month, the U.S. government notified the USAID headquarters staff in Washington, D.C., of a "no work" directive and closed the building.
The State Department is also preparing its own reduction plan that involves laying off several thousand employees from its workforce of around 80,000 and closing several U.S. consulates and facilities. However, specific information about which foreign consulates and facilities will be closed has not been disclosed.
Significant changes are expected across the State Department, including ▲ wage and hiring freezes ▲ reductions in employee benefits and travel ▲ consolidation of positions. Some departments, such as the Bureau of Conflict Stabilization Operations, which plays a role in predicting and preventing global conflicts, are on the path to closure, and educational and cultural programs supported and operated by the State Department, such as the "Fulbright Program" that has been ongoing since 1946, are also expected to end.
WP assessed that "the bold budget cuts and job reduction plans could further lower the morale of employees who expected significant changes at the State Department during Trump's tenure."
Criticism is also fierce. Ronald E. Neumann, a former diplomat who served as ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain, and Afghanistan, said, "In a situation where employee morale is at rock bottom, could it drop even further?" Brett Bruen, a former State Department and National Security Council official, stated, "Such actions are essentially destroying our tools of international influence."