Biden’s State Dept. hiring surge ‘at the heart of everything’ he’s accomplished diplomatically, secretary says

The State Department’s workforce growth and reforms to bring in new types of employees are at the core of the Biden administration’s diplomatic accomplishments, its chief said in a speech Wednesday aimed at defining his and the president’s legacy, though he acknowledged that success is at risk as diminished budgets loom. 

State has established new bureaus, set up new embassies, ramped up its challenges to China, recommitted to combating climate change and strengthened alliances all because it has grown its workforce to its largest size ever, Secretary Antony Blinken said during a speech at the department’s Foreign Service Institute. All of that could be at risk if Congress fails to better support State’s budget or an incoming administration opts to walk back staffing gains. 

“If we're serious about U.S. leadership in the world, we can't keep operating without knowing whether we'll have a budget for the next fiscal year, forcing us to impose harmful cuts and hiring freezes,” Blinken said. 

Already in fiscal 2024, State lowered civil service staffing caps at many bureaus as it dealt with budget shortfalls. It still managed to slightly grow its civil service workforce for the year and has expanded it by a whopping 22% since 2021. That marked the fastest hiring pace for the department in 20 years, Blinken said, and followed its civil service suffering among the largest losses of personnel of any agency under former President Trump. 

The Foreign Service has expanded by 6% in the same timeframe and has recently welcomed its largest cohorts ever. 

Gong forward, Blinken said, State needs not just more resources but an administration that recognizes the value of the diplomatic workforce. Under Trump, State endured a hiring freeze that continued well past the governmentwide one the previous president issued upon taking office and from which the department is still digging out. 

“New structures and innovations will only deliver if they're matched by investments in our workforce, remarkable people who bring diplomacy to life,” Blinken said. “In many ways, that's really at the heart of everything we've been trying to do for the last three and a half years.” 

A senior State official said ahead of Blinken’s speech that there has been bipartisan support for much of the modernization agenda undertaken at State throughout the Biden administration. 

“One hopes that will continue,” the official said. 

The next administration, the official added, no matter if that is led by Trump or Vice President Kamala Harrisis, will have to determine whether there exists in the world a “more competitive environment” and if they want the right people and resources to confront it. 

“Those are the questions that anyone who is in an administration on either side of that will have to face, and those are the kinds of conversations that members of Congress will have to face too,” the senior official said. “I don't think questions go away. They're real, they're relevant, and they're absolutely central to us being able to compete effectively and to shape the kind of secure, peaceful, open and prosperous world that we seek.” 

Even if State is provided the resources it requires, Blinken said, the department must adapt its internal processes as well to ensure it is recruiting and retaining the best employees. The secretary applauded the direct hire authority he received for crucial positions but said State needs a “faster, more efficient, more equitable hiring process” for the long term. It also must implement a more agile and flexible work environment to best deploy the talent already on board. That should include allowing employees to move more easily in and out of government. And despite its overall hiring successes, Blinken said the State has to continue hiring in critical areas to fill “the staffing shortages that still exist.”

If State fails to empower its employees and offer them ways to grow their careers, the secretary suggested, it will lose out on well qualified staff. 

“Make no mistake about it, we're in a competition for talent,” Blinken said. “The people in this department could be doing so many other things.” 

Blinken celebrated his steps to move the needle in those areas, including bringing in 1,700 paid interns, allowing Foreign Service testing to take place online and identifying and recruiting experts on China, climate change and other key fields. He said he revitalized the dissent channel to empower employees to express their concerns about administration policy, noting he read and responded to every message that came through it though he acknowledged he did not always change policy. New bureaus include those focused on cybersecurity and digital diplomacy.