16 JULY-AUGUST 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In Our Best Interest Foreign aid is not charity. It is critical for our national security. Our diplomats and development workers not only embody our values working in crisis zones to promote peace, health, and human rights, but promote stability and prosperity, reducing the risk of future conflicts requiring military engagement. The provision of humanitarian assistance is not just our moral responsibility as the richest, most powerful nation in the world, but it is also in our best interest. —Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.-4) in the House Committee on Appropriations hearing “Markup of Fiscal Year 2027 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Bill” on April 28. Diplomacy as Prevention USAID hollowed out, programs canceled, expertise pushed out the door, and now a weakened State Department is expected to carry out the full load despite the fact it was never built to do so. … This is a setup for failure. —Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) in the House Committee on Appropriations hearing “Markup of Fiscal Year 2027 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Bill” on April 28. JOSH Heard on the Hill AFSPA afspa.org/dental afspa.org/Financial Wellness Chambers Theory Property Management chamberstheory.com Gallagher (formerly Clements Worldwide) ajg.com Federal Employee Defense Services fedsprotection.com/?c=AFSA Goldberg Group Property Management GoldbergGroupPM.com McEnearney & Associates McEnearneyPM.com Promax Management PromaxManagement.com Property Specialists, Inc. PropertySpecialistsinc.com Richey Property Management RicheyPM.com/foreignservice WJD Management wjdpm.com Officers are instructed to document responses in case notes. Issued by the office of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the cable cites Executive Order 14161, which Trump signed on his first day in office in January 2025, directing agencies to enhance immigration screening and vetting. The directive asserts that “the high number of aliens claiming asylum in the United States indicates that many aliens misrepresent this intention to consular officers in the visa application process and at U.S. ports of entry.” It also cross-references classified operational guidance held on internal department systems, meaning that the full scope of the policy remains unknown outside the department. The directive places consular officers at the front of a new screening process affecting all nonimmigrant visa categories, from tourists and students to H-1B and L-1 workers. The State Department issued nearly 11 million nonimmigrant visas in Fiscal Year 2024. The policy arrives as the administration’s broader immigration agenda continues to reshape consular work abroad, including a travel ban affecting nationals of 39 countries, expanded social media vetting for student visa applicants, and the cancellation of temporary protected status for migrants from 13 countries. The cable was issued days after a federal appeals court ruled that the president’s invocation of an “invasion” at the southern border to curtail asylum seekers was unlawful. The administration has indicated its intent to appeal. AFSA Supports AHI Victims O n April 15, George Mason University’s Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security hosted “Havana Syndrome: New Revelations on a
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