THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2026 13 Talking Points offers a snapshot of recent developments affecting the Foreign Service. The items in this edition were finalized for publication on May 15, 2026. Foreign Aid in Historic Decline Global foreign aid suffered its steepest annual decline on record in 2025, according to preliminary data released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on April 9. Official development assistance (ODA) from members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and associates totaled just $174.3 billion, a 23.1 percent drop from 2024 and the second consecutive year of contraction. The reduction was driven overwhelmingly by the United States, which alone accounted for three-quarters of the global decline. U.S. ODA fell by 56.9 percent compared to 2024. For the first time in history, Germany surpassed the United States as the largest DAC provider of ODA, contributing $29.1 billion. Bilateral ODA fell by 26.4 percent, with grants dropping 29.1 percent. Funding for development programs, projects, and technical cooperation declined 26.3 percent, the largest drop ever recorded for this category. Humanitarian ODA from DAC countries fell 35.8 percent to $15.5 billion. Bilateral ODA to sub-Saharan Africa and least developed countries declined 26.3 percent and 25.8 percent, respectively, while net bilateral aid to Ukraine fell 38.2 percent. The OECD projects a further 5.8 percent decline in DAC ODA in 2026, a figure that does not yet account for additional pressures from the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. FS Engineer Honored with 2026 Sammie Gharun Lacy, deputy assistant secretary of State for cyber and technology security, was recognized with a 2026 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal presented by the Partnership for Public Service. This year, the awards, better known as the Sammies, marked their 25th year of recognizing exceptional work in the federal workforce. The Sammies have honored more than 800 federal employees since the program’s inception. Lacy was honored for thwarting a sophisticated cyber intrusion into government email accounts. One of only four federal employees honored this year, Lacy was joined by James Szykman of the Environmental Protection Agency; Jill A. Frisch, formerly of the Internal Revenue Service; and a team of researchers from the Department of Agriculture. The 2026 program reorganized its categories into four simplified themes— “safer, stronger, healthier, and more The Deep End State By Brian Aggeler
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