The Foreign Service Journal, May 2014

54 MAY 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL As we celebrate 90 years of the Foreign Service and AFSA, our legislative team is engaged on an increasing number of fronts to serve our membership. Our goal is to ensure that AFSA’s voice is heard on Capitol Hill, making it a vital resource going forward—for another 90 years! Priority Issues In accordance with the AFSA Governing Board’s strategic plan, our key issues remain career development and professional capacity, overseas security and over- seas comparability pay. These are the themes we hit in every meeting we have on the Hill, and we are pleased to note that con- gressional staff members are becoming increasingly conversant on these issues as a result of our advocacy. Not every member of Congress will support our issues, but maintaining strong relation- ships across the board is important for AFSA. In recent weeks, AFSA has been very much engaged in pushing through the commis- sioning, tenure and promo- tions of close to 1,800 mem- bers of the Foreign Service at the Department of State, USAID, Foreign Commercial Service and Foreign Agricul- tural Service. This is a tremendously important issue to our members, directly affecting your salaries, onward assign- ments, living arrangements, family-member employment and educational options. (See page 51 for up-to-date infor- mation on this issue.) Similarly, we have pushed hard on the Senate to clear the logjam of ambassadorial nominations that are lan- guishing on the Senate floor; as of this writing 33 such nominations await confirma- tion. New Alliances Our recent advocacy for AFSA’s “Guidelines for Suc- cessful Performance as a Chief of Mission” is another way we are showcasing our value to Congress and the White House. AFSA has been able to engage with a large number of stakeholders on the guide- lines issue, and in the process has made new alliances with congressional offices with which we previously had very little contact. We are also engaging more with state legislatures. For instance, in Virginia we are working to establish a new state license plate honor- ing the Foreign Service and diplomacy. Any Virginia resi- dent who is interested in this initiative should let us know at murimi@afsa.org . AFSA is also working on a resolution honoring the For- eign Service and the associa- tion on the occasion of this year’s 90th anniversaries. Keeping and maintain- ing healthy relationships on Capitol Hill is our number-one priority. People Over Programs The more people we reach on Capitol Hill, the better are our chances of promot- ing our core issues. “Friends of friends,” as we like to call them, have become increas- ingly influential and beneficial as we expand the AFSA brand and talk about the brave men and women of the Foreign Service. “People over programs” is our motto when we talk to Members of Congress. You are the face of the nation abroad, and Congress needs to know the importance of your work, wherever you may be serving. Capitol Hill is changing fast, and so are the players. As Congress continues to see members retire in record numbers, AFSA is seizing the opportunity to introduce our- selves to new senators and representatives, familiarizing them with the Foreign Service and our issues from their first days in office. We also continue to educate appropriators and authorizers on the impor- tance of Foreign Service work and the need for the right amount of funding to do your jobs successfully. We hope we can continue to count on your support as we work on your behalf in Congress. n –David Murimi, Senior Legislative Assistant AFSA on the Hill: The Multiplier Effect AFSA NEWS On March 28, AFSA State Vice President Matthew Asada, at left, joined Pearson Fellows Dena Brownlow and Mark Shapiro for a panel on Capitol Hill about life in the Foreign Service. Asada underlined the importance of training to develop a professional diplomatic workforce. He noted Congress’ decision not to fund the 2014 request for additional personnel positions that would ensure officers and specialists receive the language and security awareness training they need to work and survive overseas. Shapiro stressed cultural differences between State and the Hill and the need to improve understanding between the two. A Panel on the Foreign Service Career