American Foreign Service Association
@afsaorg.bsky.social
Championing America's diplomats since 1924
On Tuesday, May 5, the State Department separated more than 200 Foreign Service members under the reduction in force first announced last July, even as it continues to recruit and onboard new officers. Read our statement: https://afsa.org/afsa-statement-state-department-reductions-force
The new State Department reform plan raises more questions than answers. Our statement: afsa.org/state-depart...
AFSA condemns efforts to discredit former U.S. ambassadors over evacuation concerns Read the statement: afsa.org/afsa-condemn...
Voice of America’s mission depends on truth, professional journalists, and the rule of law. Judge Lamberth’s ruling underscores that reality. AFSA stands with union partners and VOA journalists to defend both the people and the institution. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/u...
Judge Voids Mass Layoffs at Voice of America
nytimes.com
This crisis exposes real gaps in America’s diplomatic readiness. For months, AFSA has warned that the State Department’s capacity has been weakened as the result of layoffs and forced departures. Read AFSA's statement: https://afsa.org/afsa-statement-middle-east-conflict
A good reminder of the depth, breadth, and important work of the U.S. Foreign Service. abcnews.go.com/US/diplomati...
How the Diplomatic Security Service is helping to secure the Winter Olympics for fans and athletes
The Diplomatic Security Service is helping to secure the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan for fans, athletes and companies.
abcnews.go.com
We were proud to take part of yesterday's rally to call for a restoration of labor protections for our federal workers. America is only as strong as its public workforce. #PAWA marylandmatters.org/2026/01/14/f...
Federal unions, employees urge Senate to take up bill restoring collective bargaining - Maryland Matters
Hundreds of federal employees, union members and other workforce advocates gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon to urge the passage of legislation that would restore their collect...
marylandmatters.org
Grateful for this opportunity to talk about what is happening to the Foreign Service workforce and why it matters.
Lawfare@lawfaremedia.org · 9mo agoOn Lawfare Daily, @tylermcbrien.com sat down with John Dinkelman, president of @afsaorg.bsky.social, about the organization’s latest report, “At the Breaking Point,” the survey’s major findings, and why a robust foreign service is vital to U.S. national security. youtu.be/JkYkHu7hDNg
"This is not standard practice. This is unprecedented. This is unheard of. This is a sabotage of the American diplomatic machine." - AFSA President John Dinkelman on PBS News Hour www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
How recall of career diplomats fits into Trump's foreign policy shift
In an unusual move, the Trump administration is recalling the ambassadors from nearly 30 countries around the world. William Brangham discussed this move with John Dinkelman, president of the American...
pbs.org
These abrupt, opaque, and unexplained recalls sabotage diplomatic effectiveness and U.S. credibility abroad: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/u...
Trump Administration Orders Nearly 30 U.S. Ambassadors to Leave Their Posts
nytimes.com
Here’s proof that diplomatic skills are exceeding transferable. This history-making mayor-elect also served the country as a member of the Foreign Service www.nbcmiami.com/news/politic...
Democrat Eileen Higgins sworn in as Miami's first female mayor after 30 years of GOP control
Eileen Higgins has been sworn in as Miami’s first female mayor, taking office two weeks after defeating a Trump-endorsed Republican. She’s also the first Democrat to lead the city in nearly 30 years. ...
nbcmiami.com
“The government did what it was ordered not to do,” according to the judge in our case against State Department separations during the government shutdown. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Trump admin broke spending deal agreement to halt mass layoffs, judge rules
Judge Susan Illston plans to issue yet another order blocking RIFs.
politico.com
Members: Support our lawsuit against the use of the government shutdown to carry out workplace separations and mass reductions in force at a hearing in San Francisco on 12/17 at 10:30 a.m. PT. Find out how to watch the AFGE v. OMB proceedings in person or virtually: cand.uscourts.gov/judges/si/il...
Illston, Susan
cand.uscourts.gov
This morning, many FS staff discovered that their 2024 performance evaluations were no longer in their personnel files. Maybe this is an error, maybe not. AFSA is asking the Department of State to explain the removal of these evaluations and to restore transparency to the process.
Since 1/1/25, career diplomats have been increasingly passed over for political appointees in key roles, at rates we haven’t seen before. Others pay attention to who represents the U.S., and credibility suffers when expertise is diminished. In a time of global complexity, experience matters.
What’s left of America’s diplomatic service after the administration’s bloodletting is demoralized and unable to perform at its optimum. @steadystatevets.bsky.social reviewed our sobering workforce survey and lays out a plan that could bring the FS back from the brink: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Destroying American Diplomacy: Pulling Down our First Line of Defense
The Steady State | by Charles A. Ray
substack.com
Some good news to start your morning www.reuters.com/business/wor...
US judge blocks 250 State Department layoffs for now
A judge on Thursday blocked the U.S. State Department from immediately laying off more than 250 workers, a legal setback for President Donald Trump and his mass firings of government employees.
reuters.com
This is an existential crisis. www.cnn.com/2025/12/03/p...
Trump administration changes have left US diplomats demoralized and less able to do their jobs, report says | CNN Politics
The report, based on a survey of foreign service members, found that a vast majority of respondents — 98% — said morale had declined since January, and a third were considering leaving the foreign ser...
cnn.com
You’ve seen the headlines, but the full picture is even more alarming. New data reveals just how severe the crisis inside the diplomatic workforce has become. Our grim findings are drawn from the voices of more than 2,000 active-duty Foreign Service members. Read it: afsa.org/at-the-break...
At the Breaking Point: The State of the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025 — A Report by the American Foreign Service Association
America’s global leadership depends on a strong, professional diplomatic workforce. But in 2025, the U.S. Foreign Service faces an unprecedented crisis. Personnel losses, political interference, and t...
afsa.org
“Damage is being done to America’s diplomatic service that we will be paying for decades to come.” AFSA's John Dinkelman on the findings of our new survey: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...
U.S. Diplomats Report Broken Morale and Abandoned Careers
nytimes.com
Since January, executive orders have rolled back collective bargaining rights across the government—a serious blow to unions and workers. Watch our discussion “The War on Federal Labor Unions” for what this means for federal employees, organized labor, and democracy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=la_x...
Not surprising when our greatest soft power tool is dismantled others fill the void
CNN@cnn.com · 11mo agoUSAID left a void in Mozambique after the Trump administration dismantled the agency. And it appears that ISIS has stepped into the vacuum. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh traveled to the African nation to see firsthand how quickly things have changed. Stream the full story at https://CNN.com/allaccess
An intimate and powerful portrait of a now-retired Foreign Service member and trailblazer: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/u...
As Rights Are Taken Away, a Transgender Trailblazer Seeks Refuge Abroad
nytimes.com
The treatment of feds, including attacks on their unions, is unprecedented. AFSA’s Sharon Papp shares what she’s seeing & why it’s so concerning. Learn about what's happening to federal employee unions on Nov. 20 at 1 pm ET with AFSA, AFGE & Georgetown University experts. afsa.org/war-federal-...
We applaud Congress for ending the shutdown and getting federal employees back to work. But the damage is real. Political dysfunction can’t be allowed to weaken America’s diplomats. AFSA will keep fighting for stability, respect, and support for those on the front lines. Read more: bit.ly/49SFVWR
Former Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili recalls how his parents secretly tuned in to Voice of America during Soviet times — “a voice that helped win two world wars: against fascism and against lies.” He urges America to keep that voice alive in today’s era of disinformation. #SaveVOE #VOEGeo
The Voice of America: The Sound of Truth
The Voice of America: The Sound of Truth In a powerful tribute, Former Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili recalls how his parents listened secretly to the Voice of America during the Soviet era — a rare connection to truth beyond propaganda. He says the Voice of America “helped win two world wars — against fascism and against lies,” and urges America to keep that voice alive in today’s age of disinformation. #SaveVOE #VOEGeorgia #PressFreedom #short
youtube.com
It's a month of feds being used as political pawns. The longer the shutdown, the weaker we become economically, diplomatically, and morally. We're ceding ground to competitors, compromising safety, and undermining those who defend our interests. Read our full statement: bit.ly/47AlLhJ
@miamiherald.com Jamaica’s economy is tightly connected to U.S. trade, tourism, and migration. Sending aid isn't just the moral thing to do, it also can help prevent regional disruption that can affect American jobs, supply chains, and markets. www.miamiherald.com/news/weather...
As Caribbean dreads Hurricane Melissa’s destruction, it can no longer count on USAID
When catastrophic Hurricane Dorian became the strongest storm ever to hit The Bahamas six years ago, submerging the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama under floodwaters, the U.S. government was among t...
miamiherald.com
The shutdown hurts civilian federal employees stationed overseas, too: www.govexec.com/workforce/20...
‘I have no idea what I’m going to do:’ Feds abroad fret about making rent without pay or subsidies during shutdown
Some employees say their foreign landlords have little sympathy for their “U.S. issue.”
govexec.com
