The State Department has notified Congress that it plans five U.S. Department of State consulate closures in Canada, Grenada, Japan, Indonesia and Cameroon. The posts include St George's, Nagoya, Medan, Douala and Winnipeg, a move tied to cost grounds and a reassessment of bilateral relationships since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Jeanne Shaheen said China already has a diplomatic presence in three of the five locations and warned that Beijing could use the gap to undercut American interests. She also said the yearly operating costs of the facilities represent a tiny fraction of the State Department’s yearly budget.
Winnipeg and Manitoba
The Winnipeg consulate opened in 2001 and has focused on trade and investment issues mainly relating to Manitoba. Brad Kirbyson, who worked there for 20 years as a political specialist, said the closure could mean the United States loses touch with a broad swath of Canada.
“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. “The United States found that it was a very long way between the US consulate in Calgary and the [one] in Toronto.”
China in St George's and Nagoya
China has a presence in St George's, Nagoya and Medan, but does not have a diplomatic mission in Winnipeg. Shaheen told the Senate foreign relations committee that the presence in three of the five locations gives China room to exploit the opening if the closures go ahead.
The State Department says the cuts are part of broader changes overseen by Marco Rubio, who has already driven a wider reduction in U.S. State Department operations. Last year, the department fired more than 1,300 employees, including 246 foreign services officers and 1,107 civil servants, while more than half of the United States 195 ambassadorial posts remained unfilled.
State Department notification
A State Department spokesperson said, “The department is committed to following congressional notification procedures including post closures. We have nothing further to report at this time.” The notice does not say when the five consulates and missions will actually close, leaving Congress and the affected posts to wait for the next formal step.
