Friend –

It was an inspiring night last week as the USGLC community marked 30 years of impact – and lifted up three indispensable American communities.

With top officials from the Trump Administration, three U.S. senators, and leaders from USGLC’s wide-ranging community in Washington and around the country, it was one of our most bipartisan events in recent memory.

It's not every day that Republican and Democratic officials share a stage in Washington these days – so let me share a few quick highlights:

• Headlining the Night – We paid tribute to three premier USGLC networks from around the country as part of our 2025 Tribute Awards Ceremony:
  
  
  • USDA Under Secretary Luke Lindberg led the tribute to USGLC’s Farmers for Prosperity network for “fostering global stability that keeps us safe here at home.”
    
    
  • Senator Chris Coons put a spotlight on USGLC’s new network of Small Business Leaders, who are “making America more prosperous at home and stronger abroad.”
    
    
  • Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, led a powerful tribute to USGLC’s Veterans for Smart Power network for “standing up for America's global leadership.”
    
    
• My Favorite Moment – I had the honor of hosting the evening’s fireside chat with Admiral Mullen as he took the baton as USGLC’s National Chair – a role only held previously by the late General Colin Powell for more than 15 years. The Admiral is a national treasure, and you’ll want to listen below to his story of perseverance after a “collision” at sea nearly derailed his career.
  
  
• Adding Their Voice – More than a dozen other speakers joined the Tribute evening, including State Department Under Secretary Jacob Helberg, DFC’s Conor Coleman, White House OMB’s Brian Cavanaugh, Global Health Bureau lead Jeff Graham, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Jacky Rosen, Reps. Jim Baird and Wesley Bell, and General Laura Richardson and Ambassador Kip Tom.
  
  

Watch the 2-minute recap video here – and lots more highlights down below. Happy holidays to you and your family.

Warm regards,
Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

P.S. I’d be honored for you to consider USGLC as you’re making your end of year gifts. Any size contribution will help us make a difference in 2026 – donate here.

• On the threats from China and Russia: “This is the most dangerous time in my life because of the emergence of China and what they're developing, along with the resurgence beyond my expectations of Russia, combined with the technological advancements.”
  
  
• On U.S. civilian toolkit: “I believe forever to… lead with diplomacy and assistance wherever we can, so that we can avoid the outbreak of any kind of significant conflict. And over the course of my life, sadly, we've missed that more often. And if past is prologue, it's coming again.”
  
  
• On unity in America: “If I had… one message tonight… we need to figure out how to work together for each other and for our country and unify the country. As opposed to continue to divide it, because the enemies are watching… People around the world… still see us in so many ways as that shining city on the hill.”

» Watch the full conversation with Admiral Mullen


FARMERS MAKE AMERICA SAFER AND STRONGER

As farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness leaders have become such an important stakeholder on global food security issues, USGLC launched Farmers for Prosperity in 2022 to unite hundreds of farmers across the Heartland and beyond. Under Secretary Lindberg – who oversees Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at USDA – opened the evening’s tributes to USGLC’s growing farmer network:

• On food security and national security: “We export $170 billion dollars worth of American agricultural products each and every year. [Farmers] quietly fight food insecurity, while fostering global stability that keeps us safe here at home… A nation that can feed itself and share its bounty with the world is both more generous and more secure.”
  
  
• On feeding the world: “It is… the iron wills… of America’s farmers and ranchers that is the real strategic stockpiles. You all feed 330 million Americans each and every day and produce enough grain, feed, and proteins to feed another billion people overseas.”
  
  

» Watch Under Secretary Lindberg’s full remarks


SMALL BUSINESSES MAKE AMERICA MORE PROSPEROUS

As the son and stepson of small businessmen, Senator Coons led USGLC’s tribute to small businesses as central to our nation’s economic strength and noting how “export in partnership with the government is one of their greatest opportunities to grow.”

• On America’s Small Business Leaders: “Small business is the engine that drives America. Small business is the engine that takes risks, that develops new technologies, that deliver solutions for our nation and our future, and… make[s] America more prosperous at home and stronger abroad.”
  
  
• On digital trade: “I just introduced today, actually, with my dear friend Senator Todd Young… the Digital Trade Promotion Act, which is designed to help level the playing field, to compete with transparency, with privacy protections, with fairness, so that digital trade can be one of the opportunities for small business for the 21st century.”
  
  
• On USGLC’s impact around the country: “It is one of the most consequential things I’ve done in 25 years as an elected official to have the USGLC validate to the people of my home state that what we’re doing together through partnership, working across the aisle, delivers real results for our nation, for our security, for our prosperity, for our future.”
  
  

» Watch Senator Coons’ full remarks

VETERAN VOICES MAKE AMERICA SAFER

It was 15 years ago that USGLC launched its Veterans for Smart Power network, as more and more veterans wanted to step up and tell their story about the imperative of American engagement in the world through both our military and our civilian tools of power. Admiral Mullen led the final tribute of the night:

• On America’s Veterans: “Not surprisingly, over and over again, we have seen our servicemembers continue their spirit of service well beyond their time in the military, giving back to America in so many ways when they return home... We are honored to have a strong delegation of Veterans for Smart Power leaders joining us here tonight, representing the thousands and thousands across our country... speaking out, standing up for America's global leadership.”

» Watch Admiral Mullen’s remarks


ICYMI: 30 YEARS OF “STRANGE BEDFELLOWS”

USGLC has long been dubbed by the Washington Post, the "strange bedfellows coalition" – for uniting unlikely voices across the political spectrum to support American global leadership. Watch our USGLC@30 video featuring Secretaries Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright to President George Bush and Ivanka Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and many more!

» Watch 30 years of USGLC in 3 minutes


TOP PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT

» Find all the photos here on Flickr