The Foreign Service Journal, October 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2013 7 t is mid-September as I write, and AFSA is preparing for its annual strategic planning weekend at an undisclosed location in Virginia. The five constituency vice presidents (State, USAID, retirees, FCS and FAS) and I have picked three broad areas to start the weekend: security (mitigating risks while increasing engagement); career development and education (equipping the Foreign Service for future chal- lenges); and work-life balance (new things to add on the “life” side of the balance). We expect a good discussion of all issues facing the Foreign Service, and I look forward to your feedback on the plan that emerges. In the meantime, I can say that AFSA’s Governing Board, committees and staff are all energized to work for you in promoting a robust agenda with management and with Congress. Engaging Capitol Hill is key to nearly everything AFSA wants to do. Here are some initial impressions of how that relationship is going after two months on the job, and seven meetings on the Hill. First, the Foreign Service has a wide-open door on the Hill. Members of Congress and their staff quickly agree to our requests for meetings; they want continuing rela- tionships and are listening to our concerns. There are several reasons for this open- ness, starting with the fact that foreign policy issues are inherently interesting, and people on the Hill crave new sources of information. Seeing us in operation on congressional and staff delegations has reinforced their sense of the Foreign Service’s value and respect for our field expertise. AFSA also has an active political action committee. So there is good will toward us in the halls of Congress. But my second impression is that we also have persistent negative stereo- types to overcome, as richly detailed in the June study AFSA commissioned on “Congressional Staff Attitudes toward the Foreign Service.” Adjectives about us that emerge from 28 interviews include “odd, elitist, out of touch, de- fensive, risk-averse, socially inept and arrogant.” It is good to factor in these perceptions when we engage the Hill. Third, we sometimes have a defen- sive agenda on the Hill, especially in the current budget climate, with proposals to cap Overseas Comparability Pay at the current level, or to establish a new lateral entry program allowing non-career hires to obtain existing overseas positions. AFSA actively discusses these proposals with our friends. We explain our opposition and work to ensure that such legislation doesn’t proceed in ways that could harm the For- eign Service and through it our national interests overseas. Promoting professional education in the Foreign Service supports AFSA’s positions in Congress. That is why, in my first meeting with the new Foreign Service Institute director, I noted that AFSA supports expansion of the most rigorous education curriculum possible, at all levels. Fourth, we also have a very posi- tive agenda on the Hill. Here is one example. Representative Michael McCaul, R-Texas, recently introduced the Mustafa Akarsu Act, named after the local Turkish guard who was killed while preventing a suicide bomber from entering Embassy Ankara. This bill would provide special immi- grant visas for spouses and children of U.S. government employees killed abroad in the line of duty. It has passed the Senate, thanks to the sponsorship of Senator Chris Coons, D-Del., and we are working with a bipartisan coalition in the House on possible vehicles for its passage of that chamber. Stay tuned. One of the pleasures of this job is the ability to promote the interests of the Foreign Service in Congress, and to make the case that a modern, profes- sional Foreign Service is critical to pro- moting our country’s interests overseas. Be well, stay safe and keep in touch. Bob Silverman@afsa.org n Our Relationship with Congress BY ROBERT J . S I LVERMAN PRESIDENT’S VIEWS I Robert J. Silverman is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.