Castro Op-Ed in the Foreign Service Journal: “A Foreign Service for America”
WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, authored an op-ed in the Foreign Service Journal making the case for a strengthened Foreign Service that maintains American engagement with our allies and promotes diplomacy and development in all corners of the world. A preview of the op-ed can be found below, with a full version available here.
“From the rise of China, expanded Russian aggression with the invasion and occupation of Ukraine and meddling in the U.S. election, to the testing of our international institutions like NATO and the European Union, America needs swift diplomacy that adapts to the growing chorus of challenges we face.
“To leverage opportunities and stem conventional and unconventional threats, the United States must renew confidence in our leadership, diplomacy and values abroad. At the core of this effort is a strengthened Foreign Service that maintains American engagement with our allies and promotes diplomacy and development in all corners of the world.
“But during the last year and a half, we have seen flagging commitment to this important and strategic goal. The Trump Administration attempted cut to our diplomacy and development agencies by nearly one-third, but Congress pushed back on that. Congress must restore our commitment to advancing American leadership abroad and equipping our diplomacy with the tools needed to best serve our interests. If we don’t, our Foreign Service officers—and our nation—will fall short in ensuring the prosperity and security of American ideals around the world.
“Since January 2017, the Trump Administration has steadily attacked America’s diplomacy and development corps at the State Department and USAID. The hiring freeze, failure to appoint diplomats to critical positions, pushing senior diplomats out the door, alleged vetting of employees for loyalty to the President’s foreign policy agenda, consideration of offering $25,000 buyouts to seasoned professionals (until Congress objected), and a mismanaged “redesign” led by then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson caused long-lasting damage to nation’s diplomatic abilities.
“The mass exodus of high-level employees crystalizes the current morale of the State Department, and this damage occurred at precisely the time we needed the expertise of our diplomats to address growing challenges. These cuts took place as North Korean missile tests flew over Japan, a country we are committed to defend by treaty; as the United States was called to mediate a dispute between Qatar and its Arab neighbors; as Beijing continued its assault on a rules-based order by expanding its presence in the South China Sea; and as a newly sworn-in President needed to articulate a professional, well-designed foreign policy that maintained America’s voice on the world stage.”
Read the full version here.
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