The Biden administration almost seems like the nightmare of a bygone time as we march closer to the second quarter of year two of Trump 47, so it would be understandable if people are surprised to learn that there are still some lingering ill effects from Team Biden in the gears that combine in making up the work rules for federal government employees.
One of those rules that is now getting a major retool, according to reporting on Friday, is how those who represent the United States in a diplomatic role – whether stateside or overseas – with the State Department carries him- or herself through the attire they don at work. With the Biden crew, things were allowed to get a bit, let’s just say, undisciplined in the workwear department:
The State Department has added business formal dress code guidance to its internal policy manual for the first time, establishing department-wide standards for employee attire.
The changes, implemented in recent days in the Foreign Affairs Manual — the department’s central repository for policies — mark the first time the agency has formally codified expectations for how diplomats and staff should dress in official settings.
…
The updated policy applies broadly across the department for both civil service and foreign service employees.
It seems the Biden administration’s blind fealty to wokeness, and expressing your truth in what you decide to wear while on the American taxpayers’ dime, degraded standards to an unacceptable level:
“This should have happened a long time ago,” the official [Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, Dylan Johnson] said.
The formal dress code represents a shift away from Biden-era personnel policies that prioritized flexibility and cultural inclusivity, toward a more uniform and prescriptive standard for how U.S. diplomats present themselves.
Here’s what we know so far about the ship-shape new guidelines for State Dept, which are in line with changes that began this year:
Earlier in 2026, the department replaced diversity, equity and inclusion-related benchmarks with a new core precept focused on “fidelity,” emphasizing adherence to U.S. government policy and chain-of-command authority.
Under the updated guidance, mid- and senior-level diplomats are expected to demonstrate loyalty by “zealously executing U.S. government policy” and resolving ambiguity in favor of leadership direction, according to internal documents previously reported by Fox News Digital.
Trump Administration Drawing the Line:
White House Lays Out New Press Corps Guidelines on ‘Restricted Areas,’ It Appears for Good Reason
Pete Hegseth Makes a Much-Needed ‘My Way or the Highway’ Offer to Assembled Generals and Admirals
The outlet got a look at the updated manual, which read in part:
“Appropriate attire and appearance will depend on the duties performed, the work environment, and the level of interaction with foreign interlocutors and other external stakeholders,” reads the manual, viewed by Fox News Digital. “For staff participating in meetings or other official engagements with foreign interlocutors, dress is Business Formal and personal appearance is polished and professional unless otherwise specified.”
Assistant Sec. Johnson also said in a post on his X account that this new policy change will renew the diplomatic corps’ attitude, that representing the U.S.is an “honor” to be taken seriously:
👔 No more casual: State Department imposes first-ever dress code on diplomats
Representing the United States of America is an honor — and this new policy ensures our diplomats project credibility, respect, and the dignity of the nation we serve.https://t.co/qRiN1jTxzH
— Dylan Johnson (@ASDylanJohnson) April 3, 2026
It brings to my mind something RedState wrote on recently, when Transportation (DoT) Sec. Sean Duffy introduced a campaign in hopes of inspiring Americans to raise the level of civility, and show some personal pride/good manners while transiting the nation’s airports and getting about by plane, in Nov. 2025.
Read More: Sec Duffy Does Some Heavy Lifting (Literally) to Make Air Travel Better
Now, it’s unlikely anyone has missed the widely-reported examples of bad behavior Duffy and the DoT is trying to demolish, especially thousands of feet in the air inside rapidly-propeled metal cylinders; these have become more and more rampant in recent years. Of course as a Conservative I don’t want the government mandating citizens’ behavior or mode of dress in public spaces, but some reminders/hints on what can ease getting along with your neighbor (in the wider sense of the word) can’t hurt anything. Certainly, when it comes to the State Department and it’s your workplace, the line must be drawn.
Anyway, the effect these new policy prescriptions have, if any, will be evident on the world stage in short order.
Editor’s Note: President Trump is leading America into the “Golden Age” as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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