; statement of policy (a) Declaration of national interest Congress declares that it is in the national interest of the United States to ensure that the members of the United States Foreign Service workforce be representative of the American people. (b) Statement of policy It shall be the policy of the Department of State— (1) to strengthen the Foreign Service workforce by bolstering the diversity of those who represent Americans abroad; (2) to treat the people of the Foreign Service as its primary asset, and as such, hold as a central tenet making strides in increasing minority representation at all levels of the Foreign Service workforce to secure the country’s national interests