Thousands of US diplomats are at risk of sharp pay cuts as Congress mulls over spending bill

As lawmakers in Washington again debated another spending bill that would have potentially large implications in the U.S., diplomats overseas faced a potential sharp set of pay cuts.

If Congress fails to pass a government spending bill, diplomats overseas will face a 22% reduction in their pay as a cost-saving measure. The spending bill's key focus is to avoid a government shutdown once again.

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The number of overseas American diplomats that could be affected would potentially number in the thousands. It could affect more than 10,000 federal employees who work across six foreign affairs agencies.

The pay cuts were set to go into effect at the beginning of October, if no additional amendments to the plan are made before a Sept. 30 deadline. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are urging action to solve the issue before the looming deadline to pass the spending bill.