Less Reform Than Meets the Eye

Three years ago, Helms issued a triumphant press release that declared in bold type: "Bill Abolishes Three Agencies and Saves U.S. Taxpayers $1.8 Billion Over Four Years." But it took two more years to hammer out final legislation, the 1998 Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act. And the plan submitted to Congress last December by President Clinton calls for folding just two agencies into the State Department, leaving one as an independent body and creating a new agency.

As for savings, the administration's blueprint suggests only that, "over time, integration will yield operating efficiencies as well as improve the quality of our activities." Neither will there be any immediate reductions in personnel. Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Patrick F. Kennedy, who is spearheading the reorganization process, said in an interview that there will be no reduction in total job slots and that current employees of the agencies involved will not suffer reductions in rank or pay grade. He did not, however, rule out future reductions through attrition.

The two agencies to be folded into the State Department are the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) and the U.S. Information Agency. The Agency for International Development will remain independent, but starting on April 1 its administrator will report directly to the Secretary of State, who will review the agency's budget submissions and strategic performance plans. A new agency, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) will oversee the international radio and television activities formerly conducted under the aegis of the USIA.

ACDA, an agency of about 250 employees, went out of existence on April 1 and was subsumed into the domain of the undersecretary of State for arms control and international security. In the process, five bureaus at ACDA and State will be reduced to three-Arms Control, Nonproliferation and Political Military Affairs.

USIA, which currently employs 1,950 U.S. citizens and 2,050 foreign nationals, will be integrated into State on Oct. 1, the same date that the BBG becomes autonomous. A new undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs will oversee USIA's former information and exchange programs. An enlarged Bureau of Public Affairs will handle press operations for all departmental functions and for AID, which will transfer eight public affairs officials to the bureau.