Congress of Plans to Close Five Foreign Consulates and Missions in Canada, Grenada, Japan, Indonesia, and Cameroon, a Move Critics Say

The closures, justified on cost grounds, follow a reassessment of bilateral relationships since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Missions will shut in St George's, Grenada; Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; Douala, Cameroon; and Winnipeg, Canada. The cutbacks, overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, continue a trend that saw the department fire more than 1,300 employees last year, including 246 foreign service officers and 1,107 civil servants. More than half of the US's 195 ambassadorial posts remain unfilled, including in Germany, Cuba, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, according to the American Foreign Service Association.

Democrats criticized the closures, with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, noting that China has a diplomatic presence in three of the five locations. "China has a diplomatic presence in three of the five locations where the state department is closing shop and Beijing is going to exploit that new vacuum to undercut American interests, she said. The Winnipeg closure drew criticism in Canada, where Trump recently announced 50% tariffs on a range of goods.

Brad Kirbyson, a former political specialist who worked at the consulate for 20 years, told CBC the closure could harm US interests. "I'm sure it'll save them a few dollars, but I think the net effect is to lose touch with a broad swath of Canada by not having a presence there, he said. A Canadian embassy spokesperson said both countries have a long history of collaboration.

China has no mission in Winnipeg but has a presence in St George's, Nagoya, and Medan. The St George's mission has full embassy status, while Douala is an embassy branch office. A state department spokesperson said the department is committed to following congressional notification procedures. The White House's office of management and budget has pushed for closing up to 30 missions, but Democrats and national security specialists warn such moves would dangerously reduce US diplomatic influence, especially after last year's dismantling of USAID.