The U.S. Department of State announced that it has ended the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda in the Foreign Service, restoring focus on merit, rigor, and practical diplomatic skills. This move formalizes the elimination of Biden-era requirements that directed diplomats to promote DEI topics with foreign counterparts and incorporated related content into training and evaluations.

Background

Under President Donald Trump, the department has “eliminated DEI ideology from Foreign Service training to better uphold the highest standards of American diplomacy.” The prior agenda “was embedded in the institutional culture of the Foreign Service during the previous administration” and related materials “shamefully denigrated the United States, derided Americans of certain backgrounds, and distracted from legitimate foreign policy objectives that serve the American people.”

The department stated it is modernizing the service to address threats including hostile powers, terrorists, narcotics smuggling, and illegal immigration. The August 13, 2026, announcement confirms that DEI content has been removed from training curricula and that prior promotion metrics tied to raising DEI issues with foreign governments no longer apply.

Reforms

Observable steps include the permanent removal of DEI precepts from evaluation criteria, replacement of related reading lists and toolkits with materials focused on foundational documents such as Washington’s Farewell Address, the Monroe Doctrine, and the Federalist Papers, and an open invitation for qualified Americans to apply to the Foreign Service.

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.