State Asked Foreign Service Officers Up for Promotion Whether They Voted for Trump

The State Department has asked some foreign service officials up for promotion who they voted for in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, raising concerns the agency is violating a federal law that bars politicized personnel decisions within the nonpartisan ranks.

Top officials in the State Department made clear that only candidates who voted for President Donald Trump would be eligible for the mid-to-upper level foreign service roles. They also told candidates that their campaign donation history would be examined and any donation to Democrats would be disqualifying.

The Washington Sun spoke to six current and former State Department officials familiar with the line of questioning around candidates’ voting histories. Three of the sources had spoken directly with individuals who had been asked the questions.

Congressional Democrats have been preparing to probe such incidents.

“The Committee has been following allegations that the Trump Administration is making political affiliation a factor in employment for some time now,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told The Washington Sun in a statement. “These are critical national security positions and individuals should be chosen for their experience and ability, not their political loyalty. We are working with the House and other relevant committees to thoroughly investigate all such claims.”

While the federal government employs thousands of political appointees who turnover with each administration, the vast majority of the government workforce are permanent, career staff intended to be shielded from political interference.

Federal law directly prohibits federal officials from making any personnel decisions on the basis of political affiliation.

A spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment on the voting history questions but emphasized the importance of “fidelity” in a statement.

“Fidelity means upholding the Constitution and the law and executing policy with loyalty to the American people and their interests,” the spokesperson said. “It emphasizes the critical importance of service, integrity, and policy alignment across the Foreign Service. It is not about partisan behavior but rather about executing the president’s vision for foreign policy.”

The spokesperson added that Secretary Marco Rubio has prioritized merit and rewarding “demonstrated performance on behalf of administration priorities” in promoting career staff into leadership positions.

In July of last year, the State Department added a “fidelity” section to the foreign service’s performance-evaluation process, requiring managers to assess employees’ commitment to “completely aligning oneself and one’s team to the most current [U.S. government] goals.”

The department also announced last year it was remaking the Foreign Service Officer Test, which all candidates must pass. One person who recently took the exam said it included questions about the impact of former President Ronald Reagan’s tax policies and the accomplishments of Trump’s Mike Pompeo, who was secretary of State during Trump’s first term.

“There was just something about the test that made it seem like they weren’t looking for the highest scores but people who answered a certain way on specific questions,” the person said.

Trump and Rubio have moved to remake the nation’s diplomatic corps. The State Department has shed nearly one-fourth of its workforce through layoffs and various separation incentives. It has awarded a $1 million, no-bid contract to a recruitment firm whose CEO has said more Christians should serve in government and hiring at the department had become too “woke.”

As The Washington Sun reported, veteran foreign service officials have also been boxed out of senior positions, asked to resign and sidelined in major foreign policy decisions. Those efforts have led to a wave of recent departures from the diplomatic corps’ top ranks.

“This is more evidence that there is conduct to get rid of folks because of perceived political affiliations,” one congressional aide not authorized to speak to the press said of the State Department asking foreign service candidates about their voting history.

The Trump administration has faced some legal action against its efforts to identify supporters among the civil service.

It previously overhauled the federal hiring process by requiring applicants to write short essays on their favorite Trump policies, but it subsequently replaced those questions under court order.

Federal workers’ unions have also sued over the administration’s plans to create a new class of workers who can be fired for any reason.

Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, a good government advocacy group, said State’s latest actions mark an “appalling and flagrant disregard of federal law” designed to protect federal workers from being evaluated based on political allegiance.

“This is yet another shocking example of the Trump administration hurtling our government back in time to the spoils system of the 19th century,” Stier said. “Ultimately, it’s the safety and security of the American people that are being compromised.”