Leaked Proposal from Trump’s Team Outlines Major Overhaul of State Department Structure

A confidential draft document reportedly linked to former President Donald Trump’s potential administration has surfaced, revealing sweeping proposed changes to the organizational framework and operational protocols of the U.S. State Department. The undisclosed plan suggests significant modifications to diplomatic protocols, staffing approaches, and international engagement strategies that would fundamentally alter America’s foreign policy apparatus. These anticipated reforms could potentially reshape long-standing diplomatic procedures and reassess traditional alliances, marking a substantial departure from current State Department norms and practices. Experts speculate the blueprint may prioritize political loyalty in appointments while streamlining bureaucratic processes, though official campaign representatives have neither confirmed nor denied the document’s authenticity as of April 2025.

Education and diversity programs will narrow, and the foreign service entrance exam will end

The document also orders that the foreign service entrance exam will end. Applicants would pick a region at the start and must show “alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.” Large numbers of staff would be offered buyouts through Sept. 30, placed on paid leave, or given termination notices.

Officials familiar with the plan said the department would start placing employees on “home leave” with pay as soon as May, a step often used before layoffs. Notices of separation could follow in midsummer. The memo says career civil servants would face the same buyout offers as foreign service officers. Those offers run through September.

The draft also orders the department to “greatly expand” artificial intelligence for drafting documents, reviewing policy, and operational planning.

Education and diversity programs would narrow. Fulbright awards would go only to master’s students working on national security. Howard University’s contract to recruit Rangel and Pickering fellows would end, and the fellowships themselves would be terminated.

Separate internal papers, quoted by officials, propose cutting the department’s budget nearly 50% and closing 10 embassies and 17 consulates.  Those moves match the Oct. 1 timeline in the draft order.

Trump hasn’t signed the order yet

Some of the proposed changes—closing missions, eliminating bureaus, restructuring the diplomatic corps—require advance notice to Congress and are certain to be challenged in court. Many officers have begun consulting lawyers about possible violations of federal personnel rules.

White House review could add changes to parts of the document before the president decides to sign it.

After the Times report appeared, Secretary Rubio posted a two‑word response on social media: “fake news.”

If the order is issued, the State Department would undergo its largest shake‑up in decades, shrinking its global footprint while concentrating authority in the White House and a handful of new offices. 

Supporters say the plan would streamline diplomacy and align it with the president’s goals. Critics warn it would erase expertise built over generations and leave Africa, climate policy, and human rights work largely unattended.

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