The Foreign Service Journal, June 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2013 27 ule Capitol Hill or hometown meetings through their legisla- tive affairs office. Drawing on their field experience and area expertise, they are excellent advocates for what they and all Foreign Service personnel do. Here are just a few examples of tangible benefits from such conversations that I experienced while working with Congress on USAID’s behalf. • During the November 2011 USAID mission directors bian- nual conference, the legislative affairs office set aside a “Hill Day” for scheduled meetings with members and staff, includ- ing not only those who serve on the agency’s oversight commit- tees, but a broader outreach as well. Mission directors held 50 meetings with congressional members and staff that advanced the administration’s international development goals and funding needs. • Two years ago, following the advent of the Arab Spring, an oversight committee member questioned USAID about the wisdom of starting a new transition initiative in a North African country in conflict. An agency field representative, along with USAID and State Department officers in Washington, held several meetings with committee staff to explain the program’s value to U.S. foreign policy. The senator agreed that the pro- gram could proceed, and it soon achieved success. • A few years ago, a Senate appropriations committee was planning to sharply reduce the funding level for a rapid- response account. An authorization committee staffer, who had just returned from a visit to two countries where he had witnessed the rapid, effective and flexible response to a crisis afforded by the account, expressed his support for the pro- gram to the appropriations committee staff. This intervention helped achieve full funding for the account at the president’s requested level. • Several years ago, an oversight committee member had placed a hold on USAID’s plans to initiate a pilot program to use the Internet for development purposes in four West African countries. After holding several meetings with committee staff about their concerns, the agency arranged a staff delegation visit to the countries. Mission officers explained the proposed activities and the expected benefits for both the recipients and the agency’s overall program. This led the committee to lift its hold, and all four country programs were successful. Avoiding Traps While codels and staffdels represent opportunities, they can pose pitfalls for the unwary, as well. There are plenty of examples of this. Some time ago, during a defense committee delegation’s visit to a country in conflict,