The United States Foreign Service Commemorative Coin Acts

We Need Your Help!

Dear AFSA members:

We are excited to share news that S.789 and H.R. 3537, known as the United States Foreign Service Commemorative Coin Acts, were recently introduced. Senators Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sullivan (R-AK) both lead S.789 as co-chairs of the Senate Foreign Service Caucus. H.R. 3537 is led by Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), and originally cosponsored by Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Ami Bera (D-CA), Zachary Nunn (R-IA), and Dean Phillips (D-MN).

These bipartisan bills call on the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a coin to commemorate the upcoming 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service. In honoring this important centennial, the coin will recognize a century of Foreign Service contributions to American diplomacy. It will also underscore the importance of diplomacy itself to our national interests. There are no costs to the taxpayer, as the purchase of these coins pays for production costs.

The sale of the coins will also support the modernization of the seminal Foreign Affairs Oral History Program of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST), a small non-partisan 501c3 NGO located on the campus of the George P Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia. The oral history program, established in 1986, captures the experiences of America’s diplomats from the full range of foreign affairs agencies, in their own voices and is the largest publicly accessible collection of diplomatic oral histories, via the ADST and the Library of Congress websites.

To ensure this commemorative coin is minted, AFSA asks you all to contact your members of Congress and urge them to cosponsor these bills. Please note that the bills must have the co-sponsorship of at least 67 Senators and 290 Representatives by the end of June – your timely help is needed! 

When contacting your members of Congress, please remember the restrictions related to the Anti-Lobbying Act for certain federal employees. Find AFSA’s communication regarding the Anti-Lobbying Act here.

How to Contact Your Member of Congress:

Find your Senators and Representative online here by typing in your address.

The results will show the members’ websites and contact forms linked, as well as their phone numbers.

We’ve pasted a message below for constituents to send to their Senators and Representatives. Click here to download a customizable Word document with the same text:

Dear [Elected Official Name]:  

As your constituent, I am writing to strongly urge you to co-sponsor, S.789/H.R.3537, the United States Foreign Service Commemorative Coin Act. This bipartisan legislation calls on the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a coin to commemorate the upcoming 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service. In honoring this important centennial, the coin will recognize a century of Foreign Service contributions to American diplomacy, from passage of the 1924 Rogers Act and the first entry classes of the Foreign Service in 1925 to today, commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by 320 of its members who gave their lives while serving on the front lines abroad, and highlight the importance of diplomacy to the national interest. 

There is no better moment than the upcoming centennial to celebrate Congress’s vision in passing the Rogers Act of 1924 establishing the U.S. Foreign Service. For 100 years members of the Service and their families have protected and advanced U.S. national security, economic and commercial interests, and American values with dedication, sacrifice, courage, and honor.  Cosponsoring S.789/H.R.3537 will be deeply meaningful to tens of thousands of Americans in the foreign affairs and diplomatic community, who welcome this legislation as recognition of their long-dedicated service overseas for the American people, often in hazardous and dangerous duty locations.

The sale of the coins will support the modernization of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training’s seminal Foreign Affairs Oral History program. This program, established in 1986 captures the experiences of America’s diplomats in their own voice and is the largest publicly accessible collection of diplomatic oral histories, praised as a national treasure for passing on the lessons of America’s diplomacy to current and future generations of U.S. diplomats and scholars alike by the likes of Secretary of State George Shultz and the Library of Congress. 

Thank you.

Thank you in advance for engaging with your members of Congress on this important issue. Various Foreign Affairs organizations are supporting this effort, but hearing directly from constituents is so important to getting the attention of our elected officials.

We will be sure to update AFSA members on the status of the commemorative coin bills as this effort moves forward.