Stalled onboarding of Foreign Service fellows draws questions from lawmakers

People who have completed fellowships that the State Department uses to recruit new talent have been waiting for months to be onboarded into the Foreign Service, according to a Thursday letter that Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., sent to Secretary Marco Rubio requesting an explanation for the hold up. 

“This delay in onboarding mission-ready fellows undermines U.S. diplomatic readiness, wastes congressionally appropriated taxpayer dollars and directly harms these outstanding Americans while simultaneously discouraging future talent from applying to the Foreign Service,” the senator wrote. 

More than 50 Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellows from the 2023 and deferred 2022 cohorts have been in a holding pattern after receiving sparse communication from the State Department, according to the letter. 

Participation in the merit- and needs-based fellowships entails financial assistance for a two-year graduate program, two internships (one of which is abroad) and a five-year work commitment to the Foreign Service 

Van Hollen, who was joined by 21 other Senate Democrats, urged Rubio to include these individuals in a 2026 orientation class, saying that the federal government spends more than $100,000 on average per fellow. 

“Taxpayers have invested millions of dollars in these diplomats,” he wrote. “Now, you must let the State Department reap the benefits.”

The senator requested that Rubio respond by April 19 and address if fellows who cannot fulfill the five-year service mandate due to State Department delays will be required to repay benefits they’ve received. 

According to the websites for the two programs, the 2026 application cycles for both of the fellowships have been put on hold “pending updates from the U.S. Department of State.” 

Officials from the State Department did not respond to a request for comment. 

The State Department reported in 2022 that the Pickering and Rangel fellowships have increased the number of Foreign Service generalists from underrepresented groups by 33% and the number of women by 6%. The Trump administration has sought to remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs from the government. 

In the midst of laying off more than 1,000 employees, the State Department in 2025 did bring on nearly 100 new foreign service officers. 

Several fellowships that the federal government uses for recruitment have been upended by the Trump administration’s agency workforce changes. Soon after taking office, the president eliminated the Presidential Management Fellows program, which was a pipeline for bringing in graduate students.  

Likewise, the Office of Personnel Management extended the deadline for CyberCorps participants to find a government cybersecurity position. That program similarly covers tuition for students who then commit to working for an agency upon graduation, but participants reported difficulties finding open jobs due to cuts to the civil service.