AFSA NEWS AFSA NEWSTHE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION The Missing Badge AFSA, AFGE Team Up to Mark One Year Since RIFs LR PHOTOGRAPHY/LELAND RENATO One year after the State Department fired nearly 1,350 employees in a single day, Foreign Service and Civil Service alumni and lawmakers gathered at the House Triangle on Capitol Hill on the morning of July 16 for “The Missing Badge,” a press conference and exhibit organized by AFSA and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1534 and sponsored by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.). Despite the extreme heat and humidity, the crowd was large and the mood determined, as attendees voiced solidarity with colleagues let go in the reduction in force (RIF) and the dismantling of USAID and pressed for their reinstatement. The July 2025 RIF fell mostly on Civil Service employees permanently based in the CALENDAR Please check afsa.org/events for the most up-to-date information. September 16 12-1:30 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting September 25 6:45-9:45 p.m. Foreign Service Night at Nationals Park October 14 3-5 p.m. AFSA Awards Ceremony at Georgetown University October 21 12-1:30 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting Continued on page 55 The AFSA team gathers on Capitol Hill for the Missing Badge event on July 16. THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 45 AFSA SCHOLARSHIPS Meet the 2026 AFSA Merit Award Winners AFSA President John Dinkelman with AFSA scholarship awardees in attendance at the Marshall Center ceremony on June 24. AFSA/MARK PARKHOMENKO Founded a century ago, in 1926, the AFSA Scholarship Program offers merit and financial aid scholarships to children of AFSA members. This year the merit awards program awarded a total of $193,500 among 49 students. AFSA will also give $345,000 in need-based financial aid scholarships to an additional 100 students. This year’s merit award winners were recognized at the annual youth awards ceremony that took place in the State Department’s Continued on page 49 Marshall Center on June 24. The event featured remarks by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Rob Pyott, AFSA President John Dinkelman, and President of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation Paul Sutphin. In his remarks, Dinkelman said, “I want to commend all the students for your exceptional achievements. We look forward to this next chapter of your lives.”
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