Increase the size of the foreign service

Obama's budget plan includes money for bigger foreign service

Updated: Thursday, March 5th, 2009 | By Robert Farley

The outline for President Obama's 2010 budget, released Feb. 26, stays true to his goal regarding an expanded Foreign Service.

According to an accompanying report from the Office of Management and Budget, "To face the threats of the 21st century, we need to use all the instruments of our power, including diplomacy, to ensure the safety and security of the United States. The 2010 Budget includes funding for the first year of a multiyear effort to significantly increase the size of the Foreign Service at both the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). An increased cadre of State and USAID Foreign Service officers will help advance our critical foreign policy goals and deliver on our expanding U.S. foreign assistance commitments."

There's a lot more to Obama's promise here than just expanding the size of the Foreign Service (we don't see, for example, that Obama has yet created a new Office of Conflict Prevention and Resolution). And Congress hasn't had its say on the budget. But since Obama included funding for an expanded foreign service in his proposed budget — and spelled it out as part of multiyear effort — we think that qualifies as In the Works.

Sources:

Office of Management and Budget, Obama's Proposed 2010 Budget , Feb. 26, 2009