# 119-s-2204: Protecting America’s Diplomatic Workforce Act

119-s-2204, Protecting America’s Diplomatic Workforce Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2204
- As of: 2026-08-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2204
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting America’s Diplomatic Workforce Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-06-28
- Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-01

## Summary

**This bill would impose a strict cap on reductions in force for diplomatic staff and boost transparency and protections around those cuts.** It would also align Foreign Service layoff rules more closely with civil service safeguards and require advance briefings on personnel and manual changes. - For diplomatic employees: Agencies would be limited to separating no more than 50 employees in any six‑month period and must notify and brief the relevant congressional committees at least 20 days before any larger reduction. This creates a clear limit and a pre‑approval oversight step. - For Foreign Service personnel: RIF decisions would use a worldwide competitive area and rely primarily on prior selection board performance. Employees would get longer notice before separation, typically 120 days with a 60‑day minimum, plus grievance and transfer protections similar to civil service. - For agencies and congressional oversight: Agencies would have to assess mission and diplomatic presence impacts and explain how cuts affect U.S. engagement and competition with adversaries. Changes to the Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual would require 30 days written notice and committee briefings.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (D-NV), 2025-06-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limits on diplomatic agency layoffs: benefit, medium. If enacted, a covered agency could not separate more than 50 employees by reductions in force in any 6-month period unless it tells Congress first. The agency would have to send the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee a detailed explanation at least 20 days be…
- More oversight of Foreign Affairs Manual: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would change the Department of State's manual rules. The qualifying period in the cited subsection would increase from 5 years to 8 years. The Secretary of State would have to give the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee at least 30 days'…
- New Foreign Service RIF rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Foreign Service Act would explicitly allow RIF separations of career and career-candidate Foreign Service members for reasons like reorganization or lack of funds. You would normally get 120 days' advance notice before separation, and never less than 60 days. Retention would be deci…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-2204 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2204)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2295)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2204 (as of 2026-08-01).