Trump administration will close 5 smaller US consulates in Africa, Asia and the Western Hemisphere

The State Department seal is seen on the briefing room lectern at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 31, 2022. (Mandel Ngan, Pool via AP, File) Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has informed Congress that it intends to close five smaller U.S. embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions in Africa, Asia and the Western Hemisphere, even as it steams ahead with plans to reopen shuttered posts in Libya and Syria and has reopened the long-closed embassy in Venezuela.In separate notices sent late last week to lawmakers, the State Department said it would close the U.S. embassy in the Caribbean island of Grenada; the consulates in Nagoya, Japan, and Medan, Indonesia; the American Presence Post in Winnipeg, Canada; and an embassy branch office in Douala, Cameroon.The closures are expected to save the government roughly $4.4 million per year, according to the notices obtained by The Associated Press. But the missions to be closed employ very few people compared with others. The embassy in St. George’s, Grenada, and the consulate in Nagoya have only one American staffer and five local employees each. The consulate in Medan has four direct-hire U.S. staffers and 47 local employees. The Winnipeg post has only two local staffers, and the embassy office in Douala has only 14 local staffers.The State Department announced plans earlier this year to permanently close the U.S. consulate in Peshwar, Pakistan, which was the closest diplomatic mission to Afghanistan since American troops withdrew in 2021. 3 MIN READ 1 MIN READ 4 MIN READ The steps come as the department moves to streamline its operations at home and abroad, while investing millions of dollars into reopening the U.S. embassies in Caracas; Damascus, Syria; and Tripoli, Libya; to restore America’s formal diplomatic presence following the ouster of long-ruling autocrats in those countries.