The Trump administration’s latest purge of career civil servants in the State Department will leave gaping holes in U.S. foreign policy expertise that could take decades to rebuild. In February, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 14217, “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Government,” directing the elimination of the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program. For nearly fifty years, this flagship professional development program has recruited the best and brightest graduate students to serve across the U.S. government on behalf of the American people. It has played a particularly vital role in supporting national security departments and agencies, which depend on trustworthy, high-performing public servants to manage the country’s most sensitive information.
But the PMF program is more than just a hiring mechanism for federal workers. It is a leadership initiative designed to equip future civil servants with management training, interagency exposure, and an understanding of how the U.S. government operates—from embassies overseas and combatant commands to Washington headquarters. The combination of top-tier talent and structured development has helped produce alumni who went on to become U.S. Senators, members of Congress, and Cabinet officials.
We write from personal experience. As students who did not attend Ivy League schools but worked hard and graduated near the top of our class, we were nominated by our universities and, after a rigorous assessment and interview process, selected for coveted PMF positions at the State Department. Over the years, we have proudly served under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
Every PMF has a unique story. For us, growing up in Illinois and Western Pennsylvania, public service was not the default path. While many of our peers chose big law firms or other lucrative private sector jobs, we were driven by a desire to give back to the country that had given so much to our families. We wanted to use our degrees to take on some of the toughest foreign policy challenges. We knew the pay would be lower, but the purpose was greater. Serving our country, with pride and patriotism, felt far more gratifying than any paycheck.
Without the PMF program, we may never have entered public service. The program was founded with the goal of reaching into all corners of America to promote greater representation in the federal civil service. It has been especially important in opening the historically elite world of foreign policy to people from the Midwest, the Deep South, the Sunbelt, and the Great Plains. Based on our own experiences, we know America is stronger—and our foreign policy is more effective—when public servants truly understand and reflect the full breadth of the country: the farmers, the teachers, and the small business owners.
The PMF program meant that the daughter of immigrants—who was the first person in her family to be born in the United States—could grow up to serve as a Special Assistant to the President at the White House National Security Council. And that the grandson of a Pittsburgh steelworker and a Brooklynite, who as a young boy followed World War I through newspaper clippings, could become a U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. We also both worked for the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations where, sitting behind the U.S. nameplate, we represented a version of the American dream.
When Trump issued E.O. 14217, he left hundreds of young people from across the United States—who were expecting to be a part of an incoming PMF class—scrambling to find alternative employment. Beyond impacting those individuals, the elimination of the program will have long-term consequences for the future of America’s diplomatic corps and an entire generation of policymakers.
If government service can no longer be considered reliable employment, the best people will stop pursuing careers in public service. This isn’t good for Republicans or Democrats—and it’s not good for our country. These young people bring many of the bold, fresh ideas that have fueled American growth since the founding of the Republic.
Recent public discourse has placed emphasis on the importance of merit-based hiring, which makes it all the more perplexing that—with a few strokes of a pen—a program rooted in meritocracy and geographic diversity has been eliminated. The American public and the U.S. government need a functioning recruitment pipeline, and that means continuing the stream of young PMF talent.
Call it by another name or amend the recruitment process, but don’t eliminate the PMF program entirely. We should be lifting up the next generation of public servants and encouraging students who reflect the richness of America’s diversity to serve their country—not closing off the paths that lead them there. They are inspired to help this country reach new heights. The very least we can do is not stand in their way.
The post Save the PMF Program or Risk Losing a Generation of Public Servants appeared first on Just Security.
