State Department, led by Secretary Rubio, has moved to prioritize "fidelity" in the hiring process rather than DEI. (Julien de Rosa/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
The department’s previous hiring guide for 2022–2025 required foreign service employees to "demonstrate impact in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility," according to the internal documents.
Entry-level applicants were expected to proactively seek to "improve one’s own self-awareness with respect to promoting inclusivity." Mid- and senior-level supervisors were told to recruit and retain diverse teams, respond immediately to non-inclusive workplace behaviors, and "consult with impacted staff before finalizing decisions."
That guidance is now out.
The department’s new document for 2025–2028 lists "fidelity" as the first of five core precepts, followed by communication, leadership, management and knowledge. Under the new policy, mid- and senior-level Foreign Service Officers must demonstrate loyalty by "zealously executing U.S. government policy" and "resolving uncertainty on the side of fidelity to one’s chain of command."
DOGE HELPS STATE DEPARTMENT ELIMINATE BIDEN ADMIN'S DEI PERFORMANCE EVALUATION REQUIREMENT
The move comes amid a government-wide effort to eliminate DEI within federal agencies, and root out those who they believe to be working to undermine President Donald Trump’s agenda.
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The State Department has also frozen the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) – typically administered three times a year – as it moves to restructure and potentially downsize its workforce. In May, the department submitted a plan to Congress outlining a 15% reduction of its 19,000 employees and the consolidation of over 300 bureaus and agency offices.
While a court order has temporarily paused mass layoffs across federal agencies, a recent Supreme Court ruling determined that nationwide injunctions issued by federal district courts "likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rubio-run-state-department-dumps-biden-era-dei-hiring-criteria-replaces-fidelity