Diplomatic Workforce Bill Puts a Cap on Mass Layoffs at State Dept. and USAID: No More Than 50 Cuts Every Six Months

If you’ve ever had that sinking feeling when your company suddenly announces a massive round of layoffs, you know the chaos and uncertainty that follows. This bill, the Protecting America’s Diplomatic Workforce Act, aims to put some serious guardrails on that process, specifically for the federal agencies that handle our international relations, like the State Department, USAID, and the Peace Corps.

The 50-Person Rule: Transparency Before the Axe Falls

For these key “covered agencies,” the bill introduces a strict new rule: they generally can’t lay off more than 50 employees in any six-month period. Think of it as a hard cap on mass restructuring. If an agency decides it absolutely must exceed that 50-person limit, it can’t just send out an email. It has to jump through some major hoops first, designed to force transparency and accountability.

Specifically, the agency must send a detailed explanation to Congress at least 20 days before notifying the affected employees. This report has to cover everything: what alternatives the agency considered (like moving employees to different jobs), why the layoff is truly necessary, and, critically, how the cuts will impact the agency’s ability to do its job and maintain America's standing globally (SEC. 2). This is a big deal. For employees, it means management can’t make snap decisions about massive cuts without a public paper trail explaining why.

More Time to Plan Your Next Move

One of the most practical changes for federal workers facing a Reduction in Force (RIF) is the notice period. Currently, notice periods can vary, but this bill locks in a minimum of 60 days’ advance notice for any federal employee facing a RIF (SEC. 4). If you’re a Foreign Service employee, you get 120 days’ notice unless there are unexpected issues, but never less than 60 days (SEC. 3). That extra time is crucial for anyone needing to update a resume, search for a new job, or figure out the family budget after a job loss.

Standardizing the Foreign Service Competition

For the diplomats and international aid workers in the Foreign Service, the bill cleans up how layoffs happen. If the State Department needs to cut staff due to budget or reorganization, the competition for who stays and who goes will now be worldwide among employees at the same rank or specialty (SEC. 3). The decision must be based primarily on past performance (selection board rankings), though tenure and language skills still count.

This is a major win for fairness: it means that an employee’s job security is based on their track record, not just where they happened to be stationed when the budget axe fell. Furthermore, Foreign Service employees gain the same grievance rights as career civil service members when challenging a RIF decision, giving them a much stronger voice against unfair cuts (SEC. 3).

The Administrative Catch: Less Flexibility for the Secretary

While the protections for employees are clear, the bill also adds some administrative friction. Besides the heavy justification process for mass layoffs, the bill removes the Secretary of State’s existing authority to create specific regulations for Foreign Service RIF procedures (SEC. 3). This might seem minor, but it effectively takes away the State Department’s ability to manage its own internal downsizing rules, potentially making the process less flexible and harder to adapt to changing global needs.

Additionally, the State Department now has to give Congress 30 days’ notice and a full briefing before making any changes to its Foreign Affairs Manual (SEC. 5). This greatly increases Congressional oversight over the day-to-day administrative rules of our diplomatic corps. The intent is transparency, but the practical effect is adding delays and complexity to essential administrative updates.