It is OMB (Office of Management and Budget), an agency within the White House, that has drawn up the drastic plan to cut the Foreign Ministry by almost 50 percent. The list contains a number of tough proposals that would mean, among other things, the closure of a larger number of embassies around the world and virtually all funding withdrawn from international organizations, including the UN. Even NATO financing would be affected, but this concerns civilian funds and is therefore not expected to affect the defense alliance's military readiness.
Sources who have seen the draft describe it to the news agency AP as "aggressive", and explain that it will be adjusted and adapted several times before it is presented as part of the US general state budget. It is therefore not expected to look like this when Congress votes on the budget – but sources say it is still a signal of how the Trump administration wants to reshape the country's state apparatus.
OMB tried to push through drastic cuts within the Foreign Ministry already during Trump's previous term, 2017–2021, but was then rejected by Congress. Now, spokesperson Alexandra McCandless says the only comment according to AP that "no final financing decisions have been made".
