{"id":27506,"date":"2026-08-04T17:00:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T12:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=27506"},"modified":"2026-08-04T17:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T12:00:24","slug":"for-america-first-closing-consulates-costs-more-than-it-saves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=27506","title":{"rendered":"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"0\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/state-department\">State Department<\/a> has reportedly notified Congress of plans to close five overseas diplomatic posts in a rare reduction of America\u2019s diplomatic footprint outside a specific geopolitical crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"1\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">On paper, the move is about efficiency, tightening the belt and trimming the fat from a bloated federal government. Indeed, the reported closures (which would reportedly affect U.S. posts in Japan, Canada, Cameroon, Indonesia and Grenada) are modest in isolation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"2\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">In practice, it goes far beyond the fate of five buildings.<\/p>\n<section class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__container\" data-gtm-action=\"Read_More\" data-variant=\"v2\" data-loading=\"true\" aria-busy=\"true\" aria-label=\"Loading related stories\">\n<p><h4 class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__headlineText\"><span class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__headlinePrefix\">Read More<!-- --> on <\/span><span>Analysis<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"4\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">When viewed alongside the dismantling of USAID, and last week\u2019s decision to slash the number of visa processing centers across Africa from almost 50 to 20, this latest move suggests the Trump administration sees America\u2019s overseas presence as a dollar figure to be managed on a balance sheet, not as a strategic asset to be maintained.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-case-for-cutting-back\" class=\"Heading-module-scss-module__qpyFFW__blockHeading\" style=\"background-color:inherit;color:inherit\"><strong>The Case for Cutting Back<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"6\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">From the moment <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> returned to the White House, his administration has consistently argued that government should spend less, and with good reason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"7\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Publicly held federal debt reached $31.3 trillion in April, roughly equal to the size of the U.S. economy, according to the Government Accountability Office. The U.S. government also spent more money paying the interest on the debt than it did funding the Department of Defense in fiscal year 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"8\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">In the 2026 budget request, Trump proposed cutting nondefense discretionary spending by $163 billion, or about 23 percent, and unleashed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/doge\">DOGE<\/a> to saw away at programs, grants and federal positions it considered wasteful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"9\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">The State Department is by no means exempt from the governmentwide cuts. Secretary Marco Rubio framed the overhaul of the department as a long-overdue effort to &#8220;right-size&#8221; a bloated institution, while the department website declares it is &#8220;constantly evaluating its overseas operations to advance America\u2019s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"11\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">All this, ostensibly, is evidence that Trump is &#8220;putting America and Americans first by strengthening national security, cutting government waste, and ensuring government works in the interests of the American people,&#8221; according to the State Department.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__container\">\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__imageContainer\" style=\"padding-bottom:66.4182%\"><img id=\"12281286\" alt=\"Secretary of State Marco Rubio poses for a photo with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, July 7, 2026.\" caption=\"U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio poses for a photo with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, July 7, 2026. (Yves Herman\/Pool photo via AP)\" captionoverride=\"Secretary of State Marco Rubio poses for a photo with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, July 7, 2026.\" credit=\"\" sourcealt=\"\" sourceimage=\"AP Photos\" sources=\"[]\" blockindex=\"12\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"5500\" height=\"3653\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 640px) 680px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26188576785283.jpg?w=640&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 640w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26188576785283.jpg?w=750&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 750w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26188576785283.jpg?w=1000&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1000w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26188576785283.jpg?w=1200&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1200w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26188576785283.jpg?w=1360&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1360w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26188576785283.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1600w\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26188576785283.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"13\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">If fewer consulates can deliver the same services at lower cost, the argument goes, taxpayers should welcome the change. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/diplomacy\">Diplomacy<\/a>, like any government function, should also reflect changing technology, changing workloads and fiscal realities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"14\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Diplomacy, however, is not like business. It can\u2019t be measured purely by the number of visas processed, passports renewed, or foreign delegations welcomed.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-putting-a-price-on-diplomacy\" class=\"Heading-module-scss-module__qpyFFW__blockHeading\" style=\"background-color:inherit;color:inherit\"><strong>Putting a Price on Diplomacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"16\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">The importance of maintaining America\u2019s diplomatic clout abroad was not lost on the previous administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"17\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Under President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/joe-biden\">Joe Biden<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/washington\">Washington<\/a> launched a revitalization project for American diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific. <\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"18\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">The U.S. reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands in January 2023 after a 30-year absence and unveiled new ones in Tonga and Vanuatu. The White House also established diplomatic relations with the Cook Islands and Niue in September 2023.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"19\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">These moves were tailor-made to foster positive relationships and boost America\u2019s influence in a region where competition with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/china\">China<\/a> had intensified. <\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"20\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">The State Department later said it had prioritized staffing in Pacific Island countries because a U.S. presence there demonstrated commitment to the region\u2019s security, stability and prosperity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"22\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Consulates and embassies are often viewed through the narrow lens of visas and passports. In reality, they perform a much broader role. For Americans overseas, they become the first point of contact when citizens are arrested, hospitalized, caught in natural disasters, or require emergency evacuation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"23\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">They also help American businesses and joint ventures navigate local markets, maintain relationships with regional political leaders, and provide Washington with eyes and ears in almost every corner of the globe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"24\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">If a few remote U.S. diplomatic missions close down and responsibility shifts to a larger embassy hundreds of miles away, none of those functions disappear entirely. But for a president who prides himself on maintaining strong personal relationships with other world leaders, Trump seems to undervalue the importance of a robust diplomatic service. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__container\">\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__imageContainer\" style=\"padding-bottom:66.6636%\"><img id=\"12076367\" alt=\"President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, May 14, 2026, in Beijing.\" caption=\"President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, May 14, 2026, in Beijing. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)\" captionoverride=\"President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, May 14, 2026, in Beijing.\" credit=\"\" sourcealt=\"\" sourceimage=\"AP Photos\" sources=\"[]\" blockindex=\"25\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"10697\" height=\"7131\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 640px) 680px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26140554137197.jpg?w=640&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 640w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26140554137197.jpg?w=750&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 750w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26140554137197.jpg?w=1000&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1000w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26140554137197.jpg?w=1200&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1200w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26140554137197.jpg?w=1360&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1360w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26140554137197.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1600w\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26140554137197.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"26\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Relationships built through regular contact become harder to sustain remotely, particularly outside capital cities where regional political and commercial networks often matter most.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"27\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Most instruments of national power and relationship building are easily quantifiable. Military strength and defense alliances can be weighed by number of soldiers deployed, bases shared or assets stationed. Economic and trade ties can be counted in value of goods exchanged (or, perhaps in Trump terms, rate of tariff applied).<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"28\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Diplomatic capability is harder to quantify, but its value is often invisible until it is absent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"30\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">The administration\u2019s 2025 National Security Strategy called for a &#8220;Trump Corollary&#8221; to the Monroe Doctrine, arguing the U.S. should readjust its global military presence toward urgent threats in the Western Hemisphere while expanding its network so other countries see Washington as their &#8220;partner of first choice.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"31\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">The same document also says Washington must keep the Indo-Pacific &#8220;free and open,&#8221; and focus attention on competition with China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"32\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">So, let\u2019s use China as a point of comparison.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"33\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/beijing\">Beijing<\/a> operated 274 diplomatic posts globally in the Lowy Institute\u2019s 2024 index, compared with 271 for the U.S. China had 60 posts in Africa against 56 for Washington, 44 against 27 in East Asia and nine against eight in Pacific Island countries. <\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"34\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">That\u2019s before the Trump administration started hacking away at government spending and reducing State Department staff numbers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"35\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Of the U.S.\u2019s five planned consulate and embassy closures, two of them are in the Western Hemisphere: St. George\u2019s in Grenada, and Winnipeg in Canada. Two more are in the Indo-Pacific: Nagoya in Japan, and Medan in Indonesia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"36\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">Yes, it\u2019s hard to quantify diplomacy in numbers, but these ones are quite telling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"38\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">The immediate political test will be whether Congress accepts the administration\u2019s plans or presses for changes before any closures take effect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"39\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\">If these five posts become an isolated round of consolidation, the administration will be able to argue it has modernized an aging diplomatic network without materially weakening American influence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"40\" articletitle=\"For America First, Closing Consulates Costs More Than It Saves\" id=\"artend_links\">If they become the first stage of a broader reduction in overseas representation, historians may look back on them less as administrative housekeeping than as part of a larger redefinition of how the United States engages with the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State Department has reportedly notified Congress of plans to close five overseas diplomatic posts in a rare reduction of America\u2019s diplomatic footprint outside a specific geopolitical crisis. On paper, the move is about efficiency, tightening the belt and trimming the fat from a bloated federal government. Indeed, the reported closures (which would reportedly affect&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26176432578547.jpg?w=1200&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}