For Immediate Release
May 13, 2025
Contact: Communications Director Nikki Gamer | Cell #: (978) 884-0003 | gamer@afsa.org

Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) is greatly concerned by the State Department’s abrupt postponement of the Foreign Service Selection Boards (FSSBs), which were scheduled to begin May 27. This week, previously selected board members were notified that their services will no longer be needed this summer. Responsibility for staffing and convening of the FSSBs clearly lies with the director general of the Foreign Service (22 U.S. Code § 4002; 3 FAM 2326.1-1). The department’s failure to meet this responsibility not only violates its own governing directives but also undermines the integrity of the Foreign Service’s merit-based performance system.

This delay will have profound consequences for the entire workforce. Members of the Foreign Service who were expecting to have their promotion files reviewed this summer now face uncertainty, potentially affecting career progression, timing of promotions, and the upcoming bid season. AFSA has already heard from our members expressing concern, frustration, and anxiety about the implications of this change. The indefinite nature of the delay adds to their uncertainty and sends a troubling message about the department’s commitment to professional advancement.

We call on department leadership to provide a transparent explanation to the entire workforce about why these changes were made, clarify when these boards will be convened, who will compose these boards, and take corrective steps to ensure that the selection board process is conducted in a timely, fair, transparent, and legal manner, as spelled out in the Foreign Service Act and the Foreign Affairs Manual.

A failure to act swiftly will erode confidence in the integrity of the promotion system and call into question the department’s commitment to the professional development and fair treatment of its Foreign Service workforce.

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