State VP Voice

BY ROHIT NEPAL

If you’re reading this column, you likely already know that AFSA exists because of members like you: professionals who understand that a strong, independent voice is essential to the health of our institution. Over the past year, that voice has been tested. And it has proven its value.

You understand AFSA’s importance. You took the time to pay your dues after the department, in an effort to silence AFSA, ended automatic payroll deductions.

During the year of relentless attacks on the Foreign Service that followed, your support—particularly when many of you understandably worry about job security amid great economic uncertainty—has been vital to keeping AFSA in the fight, pushing back as best we can for all our members. Thank you.

AFSA’s strength has always rested in broad participation across the Foreign Service. Historically, more than 80 percent of State active-duty members have been AFSA members. Today, that number is closer to 60 percent.

Prior to January 2025, AFSA’s State Department constituency comprised more than 11,000 members. Today, that number is just under 7,000. In practical terms, these missing members translate into an annual dues loss of more than a million dollars.

This matters, not simply for resources but for representation. When membership declines, so does the collective weight behind our advocacy at a moment when that weight is urgently needed.

The past year has placed unusual demands on AFSA. We have adapted, prioritizing core functions, focusing resources, and ensuring that we continue to deliver where it matters most: legal defense, advocacy, and member support.

The most effective way to strengthen AFSA is simple: maintain your membership and ensure that colleagues are members. Many may not realize that their membership has lapsed and that State ended automatic payroll deduction for dues payments.

A brief peer-to-peer conversation can make a difference. Membership in AFSA is both a benefit and a professional commitment to the institution we serve.

AFSA is at the front lines. Its legal action and advocacy staved off the July 2025 reductions in force (RIFs) of Foreign Service colleagues, stopping their separation from service and keeping them in administrative leave status.

Ensuring we have the strength to fight is a shared responsibility across our ranks.

And we will support these colleagues in the Merit Systems Protection Board appeal process should the RIFs move forward.

AFSA legal staff are representing members who are being hit with historically disproportionate disciplinary actions by the department and in grievances relating to their annuity calculation and denial of tenure and promotion.

Having our lawyers in your corner is critical in these challenging times. Even though the administration has illegally stripped us of our collective bargaining role—an action we’re contesting in court—AFSA lawyers continue to file unfair labor practices cases and union grievances against the department.

These cases not only document this administration’s undermining and politicization of the Foreign Service but also serve as blueprints for a future reconstruction and revitalization of our institutions.

AFSA continues to deliver as your professional association. Our Capitol Hill and local government advocacy are your voice when lawmakers are deciding our future. We’ve won important victories for members, securing in-state tuition for Foreign Service families and the ability to break residential leases like the uniformed military.

AFSA staff are pushing for income tax exemptions for Foreign Service pensions in several states, and we continue to seek other ways to address the unique challenges posed by careers in the Foreign Service.

AFSA scholarships have helped Foreign Service families fund college education. AFSA communications and, of course, The Foreign Service Journal keep you informed and in touch on the issues that matter to our community.

At a time when many on active duty are hesitant to speak out, AFSA’s communications team ensures our voice is heard in the national media and online. And, in case you’re wondering, AFSA never shares its membership list with the department.

At a time when the Foreign Service is threatened, AFSA is still here working for you. That has not changed. What has changed is the environment in which we operate and the stakes involved.

A strong AFSA is not optional. It is essential. Ensuring we have the strength to fight is a shared responsibility across our ranks, so please encourage your missing State Department colleagues to rejoin AFSA.