The year 2025 has marked one of the most turbulent periods in modern Foreign Service history, with sweeping changes that have fundamentally altered the landscape for both current diplomats and aspiring Foreign Service candidates. From hiring freezes to mass layoffs, this year has witnessed unprecedented disruption across the State Department’s recruitment and staffing operations.
In this post, we will provide a high-level review of what has occurred and what may be ahead. The post will not cover everything that has happened or is happening, as the current environment is dynamic. These changes have created significant uncertainty and hardship for many dedicated public servants who have devoted their careers to diplomacy, as well as for aspiring diplomats. While the full implications of these developments remain to be seen, the goal is to provide a brief overview.
Federal Hiring Freeze Brings Recruitment to a Standstill
On January 20, 2025, President Trump implemented a federal hiring freeze that was subsequently extended through July 15, 2025, effectively halting all Foreign Service recruitment efforts. In support of this Presidential Memorandum, the Department of State suspended administration of the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT), testing for Foreign Service Specialist candidates, and testing of Consular Fellows Program candidates while hiring requirements are reassessed.
The administration extended the freeze for another three months in July, leaving the moratorium in place into the start of fiscal 2026. This pause occurred at a time when the State Department was hiring Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) at its fastest clip in more than a decade.
The impact has been immediate and severe for candidates already in the pipeline. For example, candidates on the register will continue to see their time tick during the hiring freeze, creating a higher likelihood of being timed off the register (though their time on the register was extended from 18 months to 30 months).
Sweeping Department Restructuring
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has positioned the reorganization as necessary for “streamlining this bloated bureaucracy,” cutting redundant departments, consolidating functions like human resources and finance, and shifting more focus to foreign embassies and regional offices.
The plan also integrates the previous functions of the U.S. Agency for International Development into the State Department, following the Trump administration’s move to shutter the foreign aid agency.
The administration’s broader workforce reduction efforts are being driven by the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has overseen cuts across multiple federal agencies. By April 2025, DOGE had cut thousands of jobs in the federal government, including the closure of USAID and the firing of staff at Voice of America, AmeriCorps, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The administration is weighing asking Congress to cut the budgets of the State Department and USAID by nearly half, with a proposal for fiscal 2026 that would allocate $28.4 billion, down from $54.4 billion in the enacted fiscal 2025 budget.
Massive Reduction in Force Eliminates Key Programs
The most dramatic change has been the implementation of widespread layoffs across the State Department. The State Department laid off over 1,350 employees, as part of its most extensive reorganization plan in decades. Currently, 1,000 civil service and around 250 Foreign Service employees received RIF notices.
The cuts were devastating for many departments. Specifically, regarding recruitment, members of the Diplomats in Residence (DIR) program received RIF notices, effectively eliminating a program that had provided guidance and recruitment support to aspiring diplomats across the country for decades.
In total, the department expects nearly 3,000 employees (15% of its total workforce) to leave.
DEI Removal
The Trump administration has moved aggressively to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion considerations from Foreign Service operations. President Trump signed a memorandum removing “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) from the Foreign Service, directing the Secretary of State to remove the “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility” Core Precept from Foreign Service tenure and promotion criteria.
This represents a reversal from recent practices. In 2023, Biden’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the State Department, Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, said: “We made the change that if you wanted to be considered for promotion at the Department of State, you must be able to document what you are doing to support diversity, equity, and inclusion and accessibility. This is how you are judged for promotion.”
Future Assessment Process Changes Rumored
While concrete changes to the Foreign Service assessment process have yet to be finalized, rumors suggest that changes are forthcoming. The final version’s appearance is currently unclear. Pages concerning the FSO assessment and selection process have been removed from State’s website.
What Aspiring FSOs Can Do Now
The changes at the State Department represent the most significant transformation in decades. While immediate pathways into the Foreign Service have been disrupted, the fundamental need for skilled diplomats will endure.
As Georgetown’s Dean Joel Hellman noted amid the disruption, “This is surely a time where our work—our research, our teaching and our engagement with the next generation of leaders—has never been more important.”
For those who still aspire to join the Foreign Service, the current period offers an opportunity to strengthen core competencies (i.e., dimensions) while awaiting the eventual resumption of recruitment operations.