Foreign Service Policy Issues

AFSA's Priority Issues

AFSA's policy and executive staff have identified the seven major categories of issues listed below as the most pressing ones facing the Foreign Service today. We work on these issues on a daily basis and eagerly look forward to reporting successes as they occur. Please feel free to get in touch with Director of Advocacy Javier Cuebas (cuebas@afsa.org, 202-944-5517) for further details on each issue.

Overseas Comparability Pay

Legislative Issues

  • The STOCK Act

  • Pay Freeze

  • Foreign Relations Appropriations

  • Foreign Relations Authorization Bill

Benefits

Conditions of Work

  • Core Precepts

  • Strategy to Address Mid-Level Staffing Gap

  • Generalist Mid-Level Entry

  • Hiring Mechanisms

  • Waivers on Suspension of Annuities for WAE/Salary and Hours Caps

  • Equalizations of Benefits between Agencies

  • Transparency and Fairness in Security Clearances

  • Separate Maintenance Allowance

  • Worldwide Availability

  • War Zone Parity with Military (Tax and Health)

  • USAID/State Coordination and Amalgamation

  • Low Ranking

  • Retirement Age

  • Diplomatic Privileges and Status of Specialists

  • Appropriate Safety and Security Measures

Warzone Service

Professionalism and Ethics

Family/Dependent Issues

If you feel that AFSA should devote its energy and attention to additional issues, please do not hesitate to let us know.