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1 1 (February 28, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/goveksn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congre sional Research Servk Infrm ing Ih Iegisl tive debat since 1914 Updated February 28, 2023 The U.S. Department of State: Background and Selected Issues for the 118th Congress Background Created by an act of Congress in 1789, the U.S. Department of State (State Department) is the executive branch's lead foreign affairs agency and the oldest executive agency. The State Department's mission is to protect and promote U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values and shape an international environment in which all Americans can thrive. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with Senate advice and consent, is the State Department's senior officer and the President's chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary is supported by over 77,500 State Department employees, including approximately 14,000 Foreign Service personnel, 12,000 Civil Service employees, and 50,000 Locally Employed Staff (largely host country nationals working at U.S. overseas posts). The State Department's Washington, DC-based organizational structure includes around 30 regional and functional bureaus. Six regional bureaus oversee the department's 275 overseas posts, including 171 embassies and 88 consulates. State Department Chiefs of Mission (COMs, usually U.S. ambassadors) serve as the President's personal representatives abroad and lead diplomatic efforts for a mission or country of assignment. Key Laws Governing State Department Operations Congress has provided statutory frameworks for aspects of the State Department's operations through laws such as * the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (P.L. 84-885), which authorizes the State Department's organizational structure, including senior positions such as the Secretary of State and the Deputy Secretary of State, and provides for the State Department to be administered under the Secretary's supervision and direction; * the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-465), which is the statutory means through which the State Department administers the Foreign Service, providing for appointment, promotion, and separation procedures; this law also authorizes COMs to direct U.S. diplomatic efforts; and * the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-399), which tasks the Secretary of State with, among other responsibilities, protecting U.S. government personnel on official duty abroad. Congress has utilized State Department authorization bills to periodically authorize funding for the State Department and oversee its operations. Congress uses these bills to amend previously described key laws or provide new measures. Congress has not passed a standalone, comprehensive State Department authorization since 2002. However, Congress attached authorization measures to the two most recent annual National Defense Authorization Acts (see Division E of P.L. 117-81 and Division I of P.L. 117-263). Among other matters, these laws authorized appropriations for selected purposes (including embassy security, construction, and maintenance), authorized senior State Department positions and operating units, and established a new legislative commission tasked with recommending how the State Department can modernize its operations to meet 21st century foreign policy challenges. Strategic anning The State Department utilizes a core strategic planning process intended to prioritize resources, coordinate with interagency partners, and make informed decisions to achieve what it calls the most effective U.S. foreign policy outcomes. The State Department notes that the objectives derived from its strategic planning are used for purposes including preparing its annual budget request to Congress. The State Department's core strategic planning takes place at several levels. Congress, through the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-352), requires the State Department and other agencies to prepare quadrennial strategic plans outlining their goals and objectives. The State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID, which is under the State Department's policy guidance) fulfill this requirement through publication of shared Joint Strategic Plans (JSPs). JSPs seek to align the State Department's priorities with the executive branch's top- level strategic documents (such as the National Security Strategy) and guide bureau and mission planning. The State Department's bureaus develop Joint Regional and Functional Bureau Strategies (JRS or FBS), while overseas missions prepare country-level Integrated Country Strategies (ICS). Regional bureaus are required to develop their JRS with the applicable USAID regional bureau. These strategies must include bureau and mission goals, or long-term ambitions that are unlikely to be fully accomplished within four years yet communicate priorities to stakeholders; bureau and mission objectives that are specific, measurable end-states that may be achieved within four years; and shorter-term (12-18 month) sub-objectives tied to the day-to-day work of the bureau or mission. Budget Congress funds the State Department primarily through Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations bills. In recent years, Congress has appropriated around $70-$85 billion annually

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