The Foreign Service Journal, April 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2023 17 “institutionalized abuse of women” raises the question of whether the United States can or should continue to provide aid. The Taliban banned women fromworking for humanitarian organizations during the reporting period, leading the U.N. and several nongovernmental organizations to suspend their work in the country. USAID said the ban means their implementing partners will no longer be able to serve the female beneficiaries who currently make up 70 percent of the participants in USAID-supported activities. Read the complete report at www.sigar.mil/pdfquarterlyreports/ 2023-01-30qr.pdf. War as a Last Resort And make no mistake, we’re currently in a struggle for the global balance of power right now. It’s never been more important for us to strengthen our diplomats so they can succeed because when they fail, we go to war. War should always be the last resort. We want our diplomats to succeed. —Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, at the House Foreign Affairs Committee Organizational Meeting for the 118th Congress, Feb. 8, 2023. The Power of Persuasion The State Department you inherited is simply not postured for a global competition with China, and it’s harder for us to argue for more resources or authorities if you are not out there arguing for more yourselves. The United States has to step up and defend democratic values, not just the might of our military, but the power of our diplomatic persuasion. —Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, speaking to State Department Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman, a witness at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Evaluating U.S.-China Policy in the Era of Strategic Competition, Feb. 9, 2023. Foreign Service Families Act I co-chair, along with Senator Sullivan, the Bipartisan Foreign Service Caucus, and we’re very focused on trying to make sure we have strong morale in the Foreign Service and the State Department overall. We passed something called the Foreign Service Families Act as part of the last State Department authorization bill that was included in the NDAA. My staff has asked for a report on the implementation, and so I look forward to working with your team on that process. The idea is to extend some of the same benefits to Foreign Service families that military families enjoy. I look for your commitment to make sure that we fully implement that act. —Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), to Ambassador Richard Verma at his SFRC confirmation hearing to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Feb. 16, 2023. HEARD ON THE HILL JOSH