In his statement on the most recent scorecard, Johnson
called attention to success with overseas organizational
“rightsizing,” specifically the work of State to hold
itself accountable for developing overseas staffing and
related cost information as well as taking into
consideration real property and operating costs when
posting people abroad.
Johnson said 40 other agencies with staffing overseas have
improved in this area as well, for example, by considering
shared regional services. OMB upgraded the rating for a
“right-sized” overseas presence initiative to green overall.
“New overseas construction is now based on mission,
security and cost-justified staffing needs; support
ervices are being centralized or moved to regional
centers; and all overseas missions will undergo a
standardized rightsizing review process,” Johnson said.
He said 7 percent of projected positions for overseas
embassies have been scaled back as a result of this review
process, which could save millions of dollars in personnel
costs each year.
Johnson also mentioned Education, Justice and the Department
of Housing and Urban Development for “connecting
effectively” with religious organizations to extend their
missions, arguing that they are often willing and able to
help, but have been traditionally barred from federal
funding because of the principle of the separation of church
and state.
