Workforce
House Easily Passes Measure to Boost Hiring, Bonuses at State Department
Lawmakers say the "momentous" authorization bill, the first in 20 years, would "prevent the politicization and targeting and impunity" that have hurt morale at the department in recent years.
Pay & Benefits
House Panel Advances Measure to Boost Hiring, Bonuses at State Department
There is bipartisan support for the first State Department authorization bill in nearly two decades.
Workforce
Biden: Foreign Service Officers and Career Civil Servants Are the 'Center of All That I Intend to Do'
The president says federal employees are "badly" needed and promises, "I'm going to have your back."
Tech
Scientists Suggest U.S. Embassies Were Hit With High-Power Microwaves – Here’s How The Weapons Work
High-power microwave weapons are useful for disabling electronics. They might also be behind the ailments suffered by US diplomats and CIA agents in Cuba and China.
Defense
These Texans Were Rescued By The U.S. Government After Getting Stranded In Peru. Now, The Bills Are Arriving.
The U.S. State Department has sent letters to Americans rescued abroad during the pandemic asking for repayment for the repatriation flights and threatening to withhold tax refunds or social security payments if the debt goes unpaid for months.
Defense
Biden’s Long Foreign-Policy Record Signals How He'll Reverse Trump, Rebuild Old Alliances and Lead the Pandemic Response
How would Joe Biden engage a world upended by Trump? A diplomacy expert explains what Biden's history says about his foreign policy priorities.
Management
Lawmakers Look to Ease Promotion Process for Foreign Service Employees
Measure would particularly help disabled diplomats.
Management
When Feeling American Requires Leaving America
For some Black U.S. diplomats, the moment they feel most American is when they are abroad.
Management
Retired Diplomats Urge State Dept. to Address Mistreatment of Minority Foreign Service Officers At the U.S. Border
There are “debilitating effects on the morale of our Black, Hispanic and other minority officers [from] this systemic discrimination,” said the organization.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Inspectors General and Oversight In the Trump Administration
Katherine McIntire Peters and Courtney Bublé join the podcast to discuss the president's letter stating that he will remove State Department Inspector General Steve Linick from his job.
Management
How the State Department Could Be Rebuilt After the Trump Administration
The damage at the State Department is worse than you imagine—but also more reparable.
Management
What the Careers of Diplomats Can Teach the Rest of Government
Two recent books examine the lives and roles of foreign service officers.
Oversight
Viewpoint: As the Rich Get Richer, the Ambassadors Get Worse
Gordon Sondland embodies an age-old problem—one that the flood of donor money into American politics is only exacerbating.
Management
The Trump Administration Gutted the Staff Overseeing $1 Billion in Aid to Iraq. A Watchdog Is Raising Red Flags.
A new report warns that USAID may not be able to effectively oversee $1.16 billion in foreign aid to Iraq — including to Christian groups Vice President Mike Pence’s office favored — after the administration cut much of its on-the-ground staff.
Management
What’s Driving Apolitical Diplomats to Get Political
Some former State Department officials are so concerned by Trump’s breach of diplomatic protocol that they have begun to advise 2020 Democrats.
Management
How Mike Pence’s Office Meddled in Foreign Aid to Reroute Money to Favored Christian Groups
Officials at USAID warned that favoring Christian groups in Iraq could be unconstitutional and inflame religious tensions. When one colleague lost her job, they said she had been “Penced.”
Management
Citing Need to Protect Career Employees, Pompeo Says State Won't Comply With Initial Impeachment Inquiry Requests
Congress is seeking to "intimidate, bully and treat improperly" career staff, says President Trump's top diplomat.
Management
Allies Defend Kurt Volker, Diplomat Caught Up in Ukrainegate
Former officials say that the characterization of Volker that has emerged in some press reports is untrue.
Workforce
‘People Will Be Afraid’: How Trump’s Ukraine Call Could Chill Public Servants
Diplomats condemn Trump for "threatening" a foreign service officer and other civil servants.
Workforce