Expanded Consular Fellows Act of 2026

Jacky Rosen

Democrat · NV · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Pete Ricketts (R-NE)Original· 2026-06-04

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

2026-06-04

Source: Congress.gov

The State Department would be allowed to extend the appointments of certain consular officials (diplomats who work in U.S. embassies and consulates abroad) from their current length up to eight years, with the possibility of adding two more years if the Foreign Service needs them to stay longer. This would give the State Department more flexibility in managing its diplomatic staff and keeping experienced officials in their positions when necessary. The change primarily affects career diplomats and the operations of U.S. embassies and consulates around the world.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4680 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4680 To authorize the Secretary of State to extend limited consular appointments to eight years, with an additional two-year extension for needs of the Foreign Service. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 4, 2026 Ms. Rosen (for herself and Mr. Ricketts) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To authorize the Secretary of State to extend limited consular appointments to eight years, with an additional two-year extension for needs of the Foreign Service. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Expanded Consular Fellows Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress makes the following findings: (1) Consular services provided at United States embassies and consulates worldwide, and in the United States, are critical to protecting the safety and security of Americans abroad, safeguarding United States borders, supporting American families pursuing international adoptions, and facilitating legitimate travel to the United States. (2) Foreign Service posts process millions of visa applications each year, conducting rigorous security vetting of each application to detect fraud, mitigate security risks, prevent unlawful migrations, and protect the homeland. (3) Travel and tourism is the United States largest single services export, accounting for 22 percent of services exports and 7 percent of total exports in 2023. In 2022, the travel and tourism industry contributed $2,300,000,000,000 to the United States economy--approximately 2.97 percent of gross domestic product--and supported 9,500,000 United States jobs. (4) Demand for consular services will continue to increase as the United States enters an American decade of sports as the host of major international events between 2024 and 2034-- including the Copa America, Club World Cup, FIFA World Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Rugby World Cups--which are expected to draw millions of international visitors and significantly increasing workloads for consular staff while simultaneously requiring enhanced security screening and adjudicative rigor. (5) Expanding limited non-career appointments for Department of State personnel performing consular functions, including through the Consular Fellows Program, is essential to increasing staffing capacity, reducing recruitment costs and delays, and ensuring the continued efficient delivery of consular services. SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF LIMITED CONSULAR APPOINTMENT AUTHORITY. Section 309 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3949) is amended-- (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ``, or 8 years in duration for personnel performing consular services,'' after ``may not exceed 5 years in duration''; and (2) in subsection (b)(6)-- (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or''; (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and (C) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: ``(C) a limited noncareer appointment for a period not to exceed 2 years, in the case of personnel performing consular services.''. <all>

• S332Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons Act
  Referred to Committee · 2026-06-10
• S4711Strategic Unmanned Systems Partnership Act
  Referred to Committee · 2026-06-09
• S4703A bill to prohibit Federal funds from being used for certain legal financial settlements, and for other purposes.
  Referred to Committee · 2026-06-08
• S4705A bill to prohibit Federal funds from being used for certain legal financial settlements, to provide funding for the supplemental nutrition assistance program, and for other purposes.
  Referred to Committee · 2026-06-08