A resolution recognizing the contributions of the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program, the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program, the William D. Clarke, Sr. Diplomatic Security Fellowship, and the Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program in advancing the national security and the development and diplomacy efforts of the United States.
This Senate resolution (S. Res. 123) formally recognizes and lauds the four international affairs fellowship programs—the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program, the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program, the William D. Clarke, Sr. Diplomatic Security Fellowship, and the Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program—for their role in advancing U.S. national security, development, and diplomacy. It emphasizes that a diverse, merit-based, and need-based foreign affairs workforce is essential to protect Americans abroad, expand opportunities for U.S. business, and carry out U.S. foreign policy. The resolution underscores bipartisan support for these programs, notes their statutory origin, and affirms that Congress should be consulted before any modification of these programs. It also highlights that these fellowships help recruit from a broad talent pool, including Pell-eligible and first-generation college graduates, and from historically underrepresented institutions, thereby strengthening the capabilities of the State Department and USAID. In short, the resolution praises these fellowship programs as vital, bipartisan investments in a diverse and capable national security workforce and signals that Congress will resist efforts to dismantle them, while reinforcing the requirement to involve Congress in potential changes.
Key Points
- 1Formal recognition: The Senate acknowledges the importance of the four named fellowship programs in supporting national security, development, and diplomacy objectives.
- 2Programs covered: Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program; Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program; William D. Clarke, Sr. Diplomatic Security Fellowship; Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program.
- 3Diversity, merit, and need: These programs promote inclusion of Pell-eligible and first-generation graduates, and they help recruit a broad cross-section of Americans from across all states and many institutions.
- 4National security and policy impact: A diverse, well-trained Foreign Service and development workforce enhances threat identification, diplomatic engagement, and development effectiveness.
- 5Protecting the programs: The resolution notes that these programs are statutorily mandated and bipartisan, and it warns against attempts to dismantle them, stressing that such actions waste taxpayer resources and weaken national security. It also asserts that Congress must be consulted before any modifications are made.