Friend –

This next week on foreign policy is shaping up to potentially be the new Administration’s most significant since taking office. 

• With both President Biden and Vice President Harris wheels up on their first overseas trips, the Administration is sending a clear signal as they engage with our closest allies at the G-7 and key allies in our own neighborhood in Mexico and Central America.
  
  
• Plus, foreign policy watchers also expect the president to announce a long-awaited slate of top ambassador nominees – with picks from China to Russia to the World Food Program.
  
  
• And as the G-7 leaders gather, all eyes will be on what announcements will be made on the global COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

All of this arrives on the heels of the Administration’s recent detailed budget request to Congress – including essential resources for the international agenda. My take is that the proposal is a smart and serious approach to confront the unprecedented global challenges we face, which is critical for protecting the health and economic recovery of every American family. And despite so much partisan bickering, this remains one area where Republicans and Democrats still agree.

Check out the latest GLOBAL GAB for our readout on the Administration’s budget, the latest on America’s global COVID-19 response, and a sneak peek on what to expect as world leaders gather at the G-7 later this week.  As always, I’m eager to hear your thoughts.

Best, 

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

P.S. You won’t want to miss USGLC’s Global Impact Forum next week on June 15th! Join top political and policy leaders alongside thousands of diverse voices from the business, non-profit, faith, and national security communities from across the country.  RSVP for FREE here for the virtual forum!

THE GLOBAL GAB
June 7, 2021

BUDGET WATCH.  The Administration recently released the full details of its Fiscal Year 2022 budget request — an 11% increase above the FY21 level for the International Affairs Budget. If enacted, this new high watermark would represent an important down payment – consistent with recommendations from national security and foreign policy experts – for vital new investments to address pandemic preparedness, the myriad of global health and humanitarian crises, and ensure American competitiveness. Get the full USGLC budget analysis report here.

BLINKEN’S VIEW. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the proposal “reflects the importance the Administration places on U.S. global leadership and the fact that diplomacy and development are vital tools for advancing U.S. interests.”

BIPARTISAN REACTION. While he said he didn’t agree with everything in the Administration’s budget proposal, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called resources to advance “the global health security of the United States overseas” a bright spot in the budget request.

GOING GLOBAL. As case rates continue to fall across the U.S., both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue are increasingly shifting their attention to the ongoing threats posed by virus surges abroad – with cases across the African continent increasing more than 20% in the last few weeks.

• DEPLOYING DOSES. Last week, the Administration announced it will send 25 million doses of vaccines through COVAX to help countries in need and a goal to share 80 million doses globally by the end of the month – that’s five times as many vaccines as any other country has contributed.
  
  
• DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY. The Administration also started to explain its strategy for how vaccines will be distributed globally – with 75% of unused vaccine donations allocated to COVAX and the remaining 25% staying in reserve “for immediate needs and to help with surges around the world,” according to a fact sheet released by the White House.

• NEW MANUFACTURING PARTNERSHIP. The Administration announced a new financing partnership through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to diversify investments in global vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity geographically – first was India, now Africa, and watch for Latin America next. The joint announcement with the World Bank, France, and Germany is certainly welcome news.
  
  
• STRONG AMERICAN SUPPORT. The Kaiser Family Foundation released a poll revealing 3 in 4 adults believe the U.S. should “play at least a major role” in global vaccine distribution, especially if it means America can help other countries without depleting the domestic vaccine supply.

G7 LOOKAHEAD. The Group of Seven – leaders from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK – will meet in Cornwall, UK later this week. British foreign minister Dominic Raab, who joined USGLC’s Mid-Atlantic Summit last November, says equitable access to coronavirus vaccines will be at the top of the agenda, and the question for America’s global COVID-19 response is how far the Administration will go and push to galvanize greater global action.  

• WEBCAMS OFF. The 47^th meeting of the G7 will be the first major in-person gathering of world leaders since the global COVID-19 pandemic took hold and will also include non-member countries – India, Australia, South Africa, and South Korea.
  
  
• HOST IN THE HOT SEAT? Headed into the gathering, the UK’s foreign aid funding is in the spotlight as 30 Tory Members of Parliament are fighting to restore the country’s spending targets that were reduced at the end of 2020. A letter to Prime Minster Boris Johnson signed by more than 1,700 charities, aid agencies, business leaders, and academics last week said the planned cuts “risk undermining [the UK’s] credibility on the world stage” and painted a devastating picture of the impact – from closures of feeding centers, to cancelled water sanitation projects, and public health impacts.
  
  
• ONCE IN A GENERATION. Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), described the stakes for the upcoming meeting in no uncertain terms: "G7 meetings don't always occur with a crisis of global proportions and historic impact, and this is a critical, once in a generation G7 meeting.”
  
  
• SNEAK PEEK. In a rare joint opinion piece for the Washington Post, the four heads of the WHO, World Bank, IMF, and WTO shared their plan in to increase vaccine access and speed the end of the global pandemic calling for a “stepped-up coordinated strategy, backed by new financing.”

VEEP WHEELS UP. Vice President Harris landed in Guatemala Sunday evening – marking her first international trip as VP that will also include a stop in Mexico. The Veep was tapped to lead America’s efforts to address root causes of migration as record numbers of migrants head to the southern border. In addition to the high-level head of state meetings, Harris may also visit programs on the ground.

• BACKGROUND BRIEF. The 2014 “Alliance for Prosperity” investment by the U.S. of $750 million catalyzed more than $5.4 billion in funding from the Northern Triangle countries and by 2017 improved conditions throughout the region helping to send border-crossing apprehensions to their lowest point since 1971. But in recent years, U.S. foreign assistance to Central America was put on hold and decreased by nearly 30%.
  
  
• COVID COMPLICATIONS. The situation on the ground in the Northern Triangle has long been complicated, but COVID-19 has exacerbated the challenge – nearly twice as many people are now facing hunger in Guatemala and nearly one-third of all youth are unemployed across the entire region.

POWER ON THE HILL. USAID’s new chief, Samantha Power, recently testified before House and Senate appropriators about resourcing for the agency, saying “development is critical” for America to tackle the toughest “economic, humanitarian and geopolitical” problems of our time. Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate alike expressed support for increased resources for development and diplomacy programs:

• GAVEL HOLDER. Speaking out on the decline of democracy globally, Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) pressed for more resources not just to fight COVID-19 but also to “advocate for human rights and democratic values… and to protect against authoritarianism.”
  
  
• PLUS UP. The longtime champion and top Republican on resources for overseas programs, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), called for a “plus up” and told the chamber: “Every time someone from USAID interacts with a person in a faraway place, it makes America safer.”

LAST READ. In honor of Memorial Day, Dr. Diane Zorri, a member of USGLC’s Veterans for Smart Power, penned an op-ed in the Florida Times-Union about the duty of veterans to stay engaged in debates on U.S. foreign policy. A heartful thank you to her and all our veterans and their families for their service, and a special remembrance for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.