Van Hollen, Colleagues Press Rubio on Delay in Onboarding of Diplomats into U.S. Foreign Service

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was joined by 21 of his colleagues in writing to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding their concerns with the State Department’s indefinite delay in onboarding Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellows into the U.S. Foreign Service. Having completed either of these two highly competitive fellowships, these Americans are well-equipped with the skills and expertise to be effective foreign service officers – but over 50 fellows have yet to be invited to complete their formal onboarding. In their letter, the Senators stress that this delay risks wasting millions of taxpayer dollars that have been invested in the fellows, impacting our diplomatic capacity, and jeopardizing future recruitment efforts needed to maintain a well-functioning diplomatic corps in the long term.
Senator Van Hollen was joined on this letter by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and SenatorsPatty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.).
“We write with deep concern regarding the State Department’s indefinite delay in onboarding Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellows into the U.S. Foreign Service. 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. We urge you to include all eligible Pickering and Rangel fellows in the remaining A-100 orientation classes of 2026, provide an explanation for this indefinite onboarding delay, and clarify the situation for future cohorts of public servants,”the Senators began.
“As you know, the Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellowships are the State Department’s “flagship initiatives for recruiting top-tier talent” for the U.S. Foreign Service. The fellowships have an annual acceptance rate of under 5% and fellows are selected from all over the country, collectively representing the best and breadth of our nation,”they continued.“The longer these ready-to-serve fellows are delayed in their onboarding the more we compromise our national security interests, diplomatic capacity, and leadership on the world stage.
“We request that you include all remaining eligible Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellows in the remaining A-100 orientation classes of 2026. There are 50+ fellows ready and waiting to serve the United States in the Foreign Service. Taxpayers have invested millions of dollars in these diplomats. Now, you must let the State Department reap the benefits,”they wrote, going on to list the following questions for Secretary Rubio’s response regarding the delay in onboarding:
The full text of the letter is availablehereand below.
Dear Secretary Rubio,
We write with deep concern regarding the State Department’s indefinite delay in onboarding Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellows into the U.S. Foreign Service. 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. We urge you to include all eligible Pickering and Rangel fellows in the remaining A-100 orientation classes of 2026, provide an explanation for this indefinite onboarding delay, and clarify the situation for future cohorts of public servants.
As you know, the Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellowships are the State Department’s “flagship initiatives for recruiting top-tier talent” for the U.S. Foreign Service. The fellowships have an annual acceptance rate of under 5% and fellows are selected from all over the country, collectively representing the best and breadth of our nation. All Pickering and Rangel fellows obtain two-year graduate degrees funded by the State Department in a field of study that is relevant to a career in the U.S. Foreign Service, attend numerous professional development programs to enhance their understanding and skills for Foreign Service careers, and complete two internships – one abroad at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and one domestic, at the State Department headquarters for Pickering Fellows and with a member of Congress for Rangel fellows. The U.S. government invests over $100,000 on average per fellow to complete the fellowships and train to serve as U.S. diplomats.
As of 2022, these two merit- and need- based fellowships have increased the number of Foreign Service generalists from underrepresented groups by 33% and the number of women by 6%. Pickering and Rangel fellows are uniquely qualified to serve in the U.S. Foreign Service as they have not only successfully met the standards required by the State Department of all Foreign Service Officers, but have also benefitted from the additional enrichment, mentorship, and support of these fellowship programs.
The Pickering and Rangel fellowships are among the diplomatic fellowship programs codified by Congress and were reauthorized in the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, on a bipartisan basis. Despite the investments and bipartisan support for these fellowships, we have heard reports that onboarding invitations for fellows in the 2023 and deferred 2022 cohorts largely remain on hold. Only a small fraction of the eligible fellows have received orientation invitations while the majority have waited for months with little to no communication, explanation, or transparency from the State Department. These highly qualified and talented Americans have completed the rigorous academic, professional, and skills requirements of these fellowships to embark on careers in the U.S. Foreign Service. They have also obtained and maintained the proper medical, security, and suitability requirements of Foreign Service Officers. The longer these ready-to-serve fellows are delayed in their onboarding the more we compromise our national security interests, diplomatic capacity, and leadership on the world stage.
We request that you include all remaining eligible Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellows in the remaining A-100 orientation classes of 2026. There are 50+ fellows ready and waiting to serve the United States in the Foreign Service. Taxpayers have invested millions of dollars in these diplomats. Now, you must let the State Department reap the benefits. Furthermore, we request responses to the following questions by April 19, 2026.