Van Hollen, Kaine, Merkley Introduce Bill to Strengthen State Department Workforce

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), announced the introduction of the State Department Integrity and Transparency Act, legislation to strengthen the State Department workforce and ensure senior State Department leaders are selected based on merit—not money or politics. The bill would ensure these positions are staffed by nonpartisan, experienced, and thoroughly vetted foreign policy professionals. 

“As the stewards of American diplomacy around the world, the people who power our State Department must be well-qualified, competent, and above the political fray. This legislation will help guard our diplomatic corps against politicization and preserve its integrity as a merit-based institution focused on advancing American values across the globe,” said Van Hollen.

“Last month marked the 100-year anniversary of the Foreign Service, and there is no better time to highlight the critical role the State Department plays in protecting our national security and advancing U.S. interests abroad,” said Kaine. “As China and Russia expand their global footprints and professionalize their diplomatic corps, this bill would help ensure our career diplomats and political appointees remain highly skilled and empowered to confront the growing number of complex challenges around the globe.”

 “A strong, experienced workforce is essential to the success of our federal agencies. This bill ensures the State Department—the face of American diplomacy—will have the best possible foreign policy professionals working to protect our national security and interests overseas. As the United States tackles growing global threats, we need to be able to confront these challenges wherever they appear with our best and brightest people,” said Merkley. 

Specifically, the State Department Integrity and Transparency Act would:

• Require that no fewer than 75% of the Department’s assistant secretaries come from the Department’s Senior Foreign Service or Senior Executive Service. This would bring the Department closer in line with the number of career professional appointees in the senior ranks at the Department of Defense and Central Intelligence Agency.
• Extend the existing requirement that the Department submit a report to Congress on the qualifications of ambassadorial nominees to nominees for assistant secretary positions.
• Strengthen existing requirement that political campaigns not be a factor in the appointment of a chief of mission and require a presidential certification of compliance that competence, rather than contributions to political campaigns, is the primary qualification for the appointment of an individual as a chief of mission.
• Ensure that unvetted and non-Senate confirmed sub-ambassadorial political appointees do not serve in extended and cushy overseas assignments at significant taxpayer expense.

Full text of the bill is available here.