Act Now: Safeguard Diplomats and Civil Servants from Political Firings
To Members of the United States Congress:
We, the undersigned, call on Congress to immediately pass legislation that ensures Foreign Service Officers and career civil servants cannot be terminated, reassigned, or otherwise removed from public service without due process, nonpartisan review, and full transparency.
Recent mass layoffs at the U.S. State Department have revealed just how vulnerable our federal workforce is to political interference. More than 1,300 dedicated public servants—including diplomats, human rights advocates, and science and technology experts—were dismissed in July 2025 under the guise of a restructuring effort. Entire offices supporting democracy, peacebuilding, and global cooperation were dismantled overnight.
This is not reform. It is a politically motivated purge that undermines the foundation of a nonpartisan civil service—one of the core pillars of American democracy.
We demand:
- 📜 Legally binding due process protections for career federal employees and Foreign Service Officers
- 🧾 Independent, nonpartisan review boards for agency-wide reorganizations or layoffs
- 🔍 Public transparency on any major changes to agency staffing that affect U.S. diplomatic, human rights, and scientific capacity
- 🚫 A permanent prohibition on Schedule F-style reclassifications that allow presidents to strip civil servants of protections at will
Our diplomats and civil servants are not political pawns. They are the stewards of our nation’s integrity, global relationships, and democratic values. Protecting them protects all of us.
We urge Congress to act now—before irreparable damage is done.
Sincerely,
