The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

52 JUNE 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Congressional Advocacy STATE VP VOICE | BY MATTHEW ASADA AFSA NEWS Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA State VP. Contact: asadam@state.gov | (202) 647-8160 | @matthewasada As members of the executive branch, we are sometimes quick to criticize legislative branch “interference” in the president’s foreign policy prerogative and all too often forget Congress’ constitu- tionally defined legislative oversight and “advice and consent” roles. This month, I want to describe some of AFSA’s congressional advo- cacy on behalf of members of the Foreign Service and their families. The People: AFSA is for- tunate to have a strong advo- cacy department with two full-time and two part-time AFSA professional staff who are focused on building rela- tionships with federal, state and city officials and outside organizations. This Governing Board has prioritized AFSA’s expenditure of resources to increase the number of professional staff and provide the advocacy tools necessary to conduct successful mem- ber advocacy campaigns. AFSA also has an inde- pendently financed political action committee (PAC) founded and chaired by Ambassador (Ret.) Tom Boy- att, which supports House and Senate candidates in national elections from both sides of the aisle. Last cycle, the PAC dis- tributed $40,000 to Republi- cans and Democrats running for the House and Senate, none of which came from your union dues, all of which was expressly donated. However, most important to any of our efforts, are you—the AFSA members— and your families. You are residents, taxpayers and voters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As such, you have influence on an individual constituent level. This may be in the form of direct advocacy when back on home leave or while taking annual leave here in Wash- ington. Or it could be simply talking about what life is like as a member of the Foreign Service with a member of a congressional or staff delega- tion visiting your post. Priorities: Last fall the AFSA Governing Board approved a strategic plan (see www.bit.ly/1EJ9aWO ) focused on improving ben- efits and quality of work/ life, career and professional development, and secu- rity. We captured the key congressional priorities in a one-pager (see www.bit. ly/1KApRVa) for use at meet- ings with congressional staff, such as our 2014 and 2015 Advocacy Days. Section 326: New this year was AFSA’s two-page Section 326 report on the “State of the Foreign Service Workforce” (see p. 60). For the first time in 15 years, the department transmitted to the House and Senate AFSA’s congressionally mandated submission, which reflects concerns raised by the post-9/11 increase in the size of the Foreign Service, the elimination of the mid-level deficits, and retention and diversity issues. Reauthorization: AFSA submitted a separate white paper to our House and Sen- ate authorizing committees for consideration as they draft a Department of State authorization bill. It has been more than a dozen years since Congress passed, and the president signed into law, a State Department authori- zation. AFSA wanted to ensure that our committees were aware of key employee priorities such as permanent authorization of Overseas Comparability Pay for the entire Foreign Service (not just the Senior Foreign Service) and Foreign Service- relevant provisions of the Service Members’ Civil Relief Act. As I write this, AFSA is engaged in a daily exchange with our authorizers as they finalize text. Appropriations: For the first time in several years, AFSA also submitted writ- ten testimony to the House and Senate appropriations committees, as part of the department’s annual appro- priations process, making the case for Overseas Compa- rability Pay, as well as for the $99.1 million request for the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center in Ft. Pickett, Virginia. AFSA has advocated for the construction of this hard-skills training facility to ensure that our men and women receive the train- ing necessary to safely and effectively engage overseas. Confirmation: This year and last year, AFSA worked closely with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to ensure full Senate con- firmation of Foreign Service officers’ initial appointment and tenure, and promotion of members into and within the Senior Foreign Service. Fellows: One of my favor- ite assignments was as an American Political Science Association congressional fellow on the Hill with then- Representative, now-Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.). I have drawn on those lessons learned to help lead AFSA’s congressional engagement on your behalf, and I highly recommend colleagues consider an APSA or Pearson congressional fellowship. However, wherever you are, AFSA looks forward to mobilizing you and our more than 16,000 members to help make the case for main- taining what Secretary John Kerry has referred to as “the world’s premier diplomatic and development corps.” n Next month: Farewell as State Vice President