re: "House bill cuts locality pay for Foreign Service officers overseas "

Digger at Life After Jerusalem ("The musings of a Two-Spirit American Indian, Public Diplomacy-coned Foreign Service Officer") explains, as if to a child.*

Money quote(s):

"Because it isn't enough that our pay has been frozen AND that we may have to endure a government shutdown, now we have to take a pay CUT in order to serve overseas. Just an example, our folks serving in Libya make 5% LESS than they would in D.C. Yes, really.And to be clear, this is not a pay raise. It is rectifying a pay CUT. And it is only the mid-level foreign service that takes this pay cut. People serving at our missions overseas with other agencies do not. Neither do members of the Senior Foreign Service."

As a business model, how much sense (if any) does it make to disincentivize the nation's diplomats (except for the Senior Foreign Service, the FS equivalent to generals and admirals) from taking overseas assignments?

Yes, it's an honor to serve.

Yes, there are tens of thousands of people taking the FS exam every year just dying to get into the Foreign Service.

It still makes no sense to penalize the lowest paid of the Foreign Service if they're foolish enough to go abroad to do the nation's business.

"I bet they could save more than that by making the Congressmen and their staffers fly economy class like the rest of us."

I guess that means the Air Force wouldn't need quite so many VIP jets.

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