Did you know the president is trying to cut the State Department in half? This radical proposal from the current administration has received almost no media attention, but the consequences of such a move will be nothing short of disastrous for American foreign policy. Fortunately, we still live in a democracy where Congress has the ultimate authority to set the budget. You can act now to support America’s global leadership by contacting your legislators here:
Still not convinced? Here are the details.
What’s Happening?
America’s diplomats at the State Department are essential to our relationships with other countries. Want to negotiate a fair trade deal? Think we should be tougher on Iran? Looking to travel abroad? You need the dedicated and professional corps of Foreign Service Officers and other embassy and consulate staff in order to do any of that. The State Department handles all things foreign policy (excluding military matters) for the United States. This was already woefully underfunded at around $50 billion per year. That might sound like a lot, but consider that the Department of Defense budget proposal for FY26 is over $1 trillion! Granted, military hardware is very expensive, but all of State Department and USAID funding (which no longer exists) is far less than 1% of the entire budget!
The current budget cuts this figure in half to just $25 billion per year. This will mean mass firings of diplomats, embassy closures, and a severe weakening of America’s global leadership position. The brave men and women at the State Department not only help you get passports, protect Americans when they travel abroad, and help businesses expand into global markets, they also serve in some of the harshest and most remote areas of the world. They sacrifice their family life, freedom, and often their safety to do the noble work of advancing America’s interests abroad. Much like our armed services, they go where they are needed most. But they don’t get to carry a weapon. Asking the State Department to cut our diplomatic corps abroad would be like asking the military to stop carrying weapons into combat zones.
Many of these closures would also occur in rapidly-rising areas of the world like sub-Saharan Africa. By reducing our diplomacy to these countries, we waste an incredible opportunity to help developing nations advance into the U.S.-led global economy. Adversary nations like China and Russia are quickly moving in to fill the void left by the departure of the United States around the world. If the current administration is serious about countering China, this proposed budget is a bad joke.
The Local Impact
But these cuts don’t just impact far-off places abroad, they have direct and devastating local implications. All across the country, nonpartisan nonprofit organizations are forging connections across continents each day through professional exchange programs. The national Global Ties network works to bring global professionals across nearly every industry and background to the United States every year through the State Department run International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Local affiliates then connect them with local counterparts to share best practices and create lifelong partnerships between organizations, businesses, and governments around the world. Global Minnesota does this incredible work in Minnesota, bringing over 400 professionals to Minnesota last year alone.
But this program is basically magic, because it turns $1 of federal funding into $11 of local economic activity. Think about it. When international visitors come to the country to learn and meet with local affiliates, they stay in local hotels, spend money at local stores, and often establish business ties that benefit American companies. The Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs runs this program and is being threatened with a 95% decrease in funding. This would completely dismantle IVLP, cutting off a key pipeline for global engagement and connection across the country. This will devastate the network of nearly 100 organizations across the country who rely on this funding for their very existence.
What Can You Do?
Congress is currently debating this budget proposal and will soon set its own priorities. Now is the perfect time to call and email your elected officials to tell them to fully fund the State Department and our international development priorities. It may sound like a waste of time, but senators and representatives do pay attention to these messages (and especially the large volume of calls and emails they receive on a topic). Every voice counts, so take action to safeguard the future of American diplomacy.
You can also donate your time and money to key nonprofit organizations that support global engagement. Global Minnesota is the essential organization for this in Minnesota, but you can find similar groups wherever you live.
We must fully fund the State Department.