1.  Greetings from AFSA President John Naland.  Here is what we are working on at AFSA headquarters.  Please send any comments to me at naland@afsa.org.

MEETING WITH SECRETARY CLINTON

2.  AFSA officers had a good initial meeting with Secretary Clinton on March 20.  A full report is being sent out via AFSANet, ALDAC cable, and AFSA News.

OVERSEAS PAY GAP

3.  As reported in my March update, funding to immediately begin to close the overseas pay gap was appropriated in the recently enacted FY09 omnibus appropriation bill.  However, Congress has still not passed needed authorization legislation to permit the expenditure of those funds now and in future years.  For the past several months, concerted efforts have been quietly underway seeking to attach the needed authorization language to the President’s FY-09 Iraq and Afghanistan War Supplemental Appropriation request.  Unfortunately, the Office of Management and Budget has decided not to include any authorization provisions in the Supplemental request.

4.  This is very disappointing.  While it is true that authorization provisions normally should appear in an authorization bill, it has been nearly a decade since Congress passed the last full-scale State Department Authorization bill.  Given everything else on the Congressional “To Do” list, there is no guarantee they will pass a comprehensive State Authorization bill this year.  Thus, to miss the opportunity to attach the pay gap provision to the must-move war supplemental bill is an example of making the perfect the enemy of the good.

5.  So, AFSA will continue to seek a legislative vehicle through which to enact our pay gap provision.  Late last year, we did convince the two authorizing committees (House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee) to, on a bipartisan basis, approve bills to authorize closing the pay gap.  Although that effort was blocked at the last minute by “holds” placed by two Senators, AFSA sees growing bipartisan support this year for closing the pay gap.  But we are tired of reporting to you on progress that falls short of success.  What the Foreign Service needs is for our supporters in Congress and the new Administration to step up to help us finally get this done.  

6.  It has been five years since Congress closed the overseas pay gap for our highest-paid members (the Senior Foreign Service).  It is astounding that junior and mid-level Foreign Service members continue to face what is now a 23.10 percent cut in base pay when we transfer abroad.  That gap will likely rise above 25 percent next January unless remedial action is taken.  Added to the dramatic losses in most of our retirement savings accounts, it has gotten to the point where we are significantly hurting our families’ long-term financial well-being by serving anywhere except in the U.S. or extreme hardship differential posts.                  

OUTREACH

7.  AFSA continues to tell the Foreign Service story.  On March 26, I testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, making the case for FY-10 funding for State and USAID as well as for closing the overseas pay gap.  This followed written testimony that I provided to the same key subcommittee back on February 25.  I recently spoke on NPR and Federal News Radio about funding needs.  My comments on the appointments of non-career ambassadors were quoted by CBS, the Associated Press, and elsewhere.

EDITOR SOUGHT FOR “AMERICAN DIPLOMACY”

8.  Founded in 1996, “American Diplomacy” is one of the oldest solely-web-based journals of foreign affairs in existence.  The journal was conceived by a group of retired FSOs in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle area of North Carolina, and today is still operated, free to all users across America and worldwide, by a group of dedicated volunteer retired FSOs, military officers, academics and business leaders.  Its goal is to draw on the expertise of practitioners of diplomacy as well as academicians to educate readers about current international issues in a nonpartisan manner; to promote greater public understanding of the rigors and rewards of foreign service life and of the role of diplomats in shaping and carrying out American foreign policy; and to interest youthful readers in considering the Foreign Service as a career.  It can be found at: < www.americandiplomacy.org >.

9.  It is now looking for an editor to take over the reins of the journal.  He or she will work with a group of associate editors and the journal’s webmaster to prepare and post new material on a regular basis. The job takes perhaps 15 - 20 hours per week, a good bit of which is generating new articles and commentary.  It is one of the most fascinating, intellectually, if not financially, rewarding positions anywhere that is concerned with American diplomacy and foreign policy.  Interested parties may apply or seek further information by emailing the publisher, Amb. (ret.) Michael Cotter at:  < publisher@americandiplomacy.org >.


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