The Foreign Service Journal, May 2012

AFSA NEWS MA Y 2 0 1 2 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 39 American Foreign Service Association • May 2012 O n March 8, Representative Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., spoke to an audience of more than 80 people gathered at AFSA headquarters. He dis- cussed the federal budget, Congress’s per- ception of government employees and the need for a robust international affairs bud- get and a strong, well-trained, professional Foreign Service. As the child of an FSO, Rep. Van Hollen’s advocacy on behalf of the Foreign Service comes naturally. He was born in Karachi and grew up in Turkey, Sri Lanka (where his father, Christopher Van Hollen, served as ambassador from 1972 to 1976) and India. “Growing up in a Foreign Service fam- ily was a great andwonderful and unique experience,” he recalls. An Easy Caricature AFSAPresident Susan Johnsonopened the conversation by asking Van Hollen how Congress perceives government employees and the Foreign Service. “Federal employees as a group have become the scapegoat for those who are looking for solutions to our budget prob- lem. The rhetoric, in my view, has got- ten totally out of control,” he remarked. Van Hollen cautioned against think- ing of Congress as a monolith, however, anddescribedhowhe andmany of his col- leagues were working to change misper- ceptions of the federal work force as a dys- functional bureaucracy. “That’s an easy caricature, and it’s dead wrong. I think we all know that federal employees, whether they’re in the Foreign Service or working at the National Institutes of Health, contribute in many ways and extraordinaryways to our coun- try,” he said. The audience included active-duty and retired Foreign Service officers, several of whom were among Van Hollen’s con- stituents. They raised concerns regarding the attacks on federal employee benefits. “We’ve always said that federal employees arewilling todo their fair share, to contribute to reducing the deficit, but it has tobe part of a balancedpackage. We need shared responsibility and shared sac- rifice, and nobody should be singled out,” the congressman said. Van Hollen also noted his successful opposition to attempts by somemembers of Congress to increase contributions from current federal employees’ paychecks to pay for extensions of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits. A National Security Budget? Emphasizing the value of educating the public about the role the Foreign Service plays in promoting American interests overseas and supporting national securi- ty operations, Van Hollen encouraged members of the audience to “tell your sto- Continued on page 45 Representative Van Hollen: A Defender of the Foreign Service BY CLINT LOHSE, AFSA LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT DONNA AYERST Rep. Chris VanHollen, D-Md., explains the intricacies of the federal budget as AFSA President Susan Johnson takes notes at the association’s headquarters on March 8. AFSA Bylaws Changes p. 42