I always get asked by friends or family on all sides of the political spectrum how I could work for the government under X or Y President. In my three and a half years in the Foreign Service, I’ve learned that one of the most misunderstood parts of government work is neutrality. People often assume that being neutral means being passive or indifferent. But for those of us who have taken the oath to support and defend the Constitution, neutrality is far more deliberate and far more powerful than that.

Neutrality on the surface is just one side of the coin. Beneath it lies a deeper responsibility: fidelity to the government, to the institutions we serve, and to the Constitution that underpins them.

Our oath is not to a party or a leader; it is to the Constitution itself. That means even when I’m neutral in daily operations, I am still actively supporting the framework of governance that allows democracy to function. Neutrality and fidelity go hand in hand: one keeps personal bias out of the work, the other ensures that work serves a higher purpose.

In this regard, healthcare workers have it easy and are well trained. We could care less what your beliefs are, we just want to make sure you are well cared for.

Being a government employee, especially in the Foreign Service, isn’t about taking sides. It’s about upholding the oath we swore to the Constitution. That balance allows us to represent our country with integrity while still working towards the goals of the current administration, protect the public trust, and ensure that the machinery of government serves everyone fairly, regardless of politics, personal opinion, or circumstance. -Nick