The Foreign Service Journal, May 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2020 17 We know there are still many Americans currently trapped overseas, but I can assure you the State Department and Secretary Pompeo are working around the clock to bring them home as quickly as possible. —House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Michael McCaul (R-Texas), in a statement reported March 25 by Politico . I do want to salute not only our troops, but our men and women in the State Department, our Foreign Service officers at USAID and State, for representing our country and the hard work that they do every day. —Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), at the House Foreign Affairs Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation Subcommittee hearing, “Pros- pects for Peace: The Way Forward for Afghanistan,”March 10. a press report about those concerns, Marks undertook a period of self-quar- antine. In many countries, diplomats were asked to follow social distancing prac- tices imposed by host governments and work from home. In Washington, many diplomats did the same. The American Foreign Service Association moved to telework status on March 12, and canceled public events until at least April 30 (as of press time). On March 18, for the first time in its his- tory, the AFSA Governing Board held its monthly meeting via teleconference. The State Department indefinitely postponed the intake of new Foreign Service officers, Foreign Policy magazine reported March 26. Two incoming classes totaling 175 people—one for officers, one for specialists—were put on hold. In another unprecedented move, for the first time in its nearly 60-year history, the Peace Corps temporarily suspended its operations on March 15. The agency ordered all of its more than 7,000 Volun- teers to evacuate their host countries and return to the United States, where they joined the ranks of the unemployed. Hundreds of USAID employees and family members took part in USAID Staff Care webinars on “Resilience in the Time of COVID-19.” Many reported feeling substantial stress levels because of the pandemic. Social media became a refuge for many diplomats and their families. D.C.- area members of the popular Trailing Houses Facebook group for active U.S. diplomats and family members offered to help people returning to Washington find places to stay. Members also debated whether people should return to the United States (and recommended that they pack toilet paper and other essentials due to short- ages here) or if it would be smarter to shelter in place at post. On social media, family members were offering to buy groceries for anyone who was required to self-quarantine after returning from overseas. Another offered to pick people up at Dulles International Airport and get them settled. Others chimed in with similar offers. Coronavirus Relief and the International Affairs Budget T he nearly $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law on March 27, provides $1.12 billion for the interna- tional affairs budget. The following funding additions relate to the foreign affairs agencies: • $324 million for State Department diplomatic programs to maintain con- sular operations around the world, cover the costs of evacuating personnel and dependents, and provide for emergency preparedness needs. • $95 million for USAID operating expenses to support the evacuation of U.S. citizens and surge support, and to increase technical support. • $258 million for international disas- ter assistance so USAID can continue to support disaster response capabilities in developing countries affected by the pandemic. • $55 million for APHIS employee salaries and expenses to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19, including necessary expenses for salary costs associated with the Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Program. • $4 million for Foreign Agricultural Service employee salaries and expenses to respond to COVID-19 and relocate personnel and their dependents back from overseas posts. HEARD ON THE HILL JOSH