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The State Department has had a surge in new retirements

Usually, 2/3 of U.S. ambassadors come from the career foreign service. But the Trump administration has named mostly political ambassadors, leaving senior career diplomats with few prospects.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Michele Kelemen has been with NPR for two decades, starting as NPR's Moscow bureau chief and now covering the State Department and Washington's diplomatic corps. Her reports can be heard on all NPR News programs, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
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