For Immediate Release
April 6, 2026
Press Contact: Communications & Outreach Director Nikki Gamer | gamer@afsa.org

Washington, D.C. – The State Department has added a dress code to its Foreign Affairs Manual, which becomes the latest in a litany of changes reflecting its diminishing regard for the Foreign Service workforce.

For more than 50 years, AFSA worked alongside the department as its professional association and union. We consulted on matters affecting the workforce, pushed back when policies didn't serve the people carrying out this nation's diplomacy, and helped implement the ones that did. That relationship existed because it worked, yet it has been repeatedly sidelined since 2025.

The practical risks of bypassing that process are not abstract. Loosely written dress mandates have a history of discriminatory application, disproportionately affecting women and underrepresented groups, often without any stated intent to do so. Consultation exists, in part, to catch exactly that before it becomes policy.

It's also worth noting that America's diplomats already navigate every conceivable combination of culture, climate, and social context — adapting their judgment, their communication, and yes, their appearance to the demands of the moment. A blanket dress standard doesn't reflect that reality.

AFSA has been raising the alarm with lawmakers and the public about what's happening inside the department — a slow erosion of conditions that is pushing talented professionals to consider walking away from public service. Whether that's an unintended consequence or the intended outcome, the Foreign Service is in crisis. Our collective bargaining rights remain under litigation in federal court, and this dress code joins a growing list of changes we'll be bringing to the negotiating table when those rights are restored.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) is the professional association and labor union of the men and women of the United States Foreign Service.