Friend –

There has been a lot written about citizens turning inward over the past few years – especially in towns and cities in the middle of the country where I grew up. But last week’s USGLC Heartland Summit told a very different story:

• We reached more than 160,000 viewers across our platforms.
• The Summit featured bipartisan Senators and Representatives, Mayors, business, and military leaders telling their local stories.
• Covering 12 states, a dozen Mayoral proclamations were issued on why leading globally matters locally.

I was certainly inspired by the stories, and it’s worth taking a quick peek: 

All of this comes on the heels of other major gatherings at the UN General Assembly, the White House’s COVID-19 Summit, and the Ex-Im Bank Annual Conference. Check out the GLOBAL GAB below for the latest updates. 

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

P.S. – If you know young professionals interested in America’s global leadership, encourage them to apply for USGLC’s 2022 Class of Next Gen Global Leaders. It’s a fantastic program and applications close on October 24th!

THE GLOBAL GAB: Heartland Summit, COVID Summit Take Center Stage

HEARTLAND SUMMIT. Gathering from 12 Midwestern states, more than 160,000 viewers heard from Senators, Members of Congress, Mayors, a General, and business and community leaders about What’s It Worth to feed the world and why it matters locally.

• Jon Nash from Cargill, USGLC’s Heartland Partnership Chair, kicked off the discussion explaining that we need to “feed an additional two billion people who will be living on this planet 30 years from now,” and “U.S. farmers are going to be critical to meeting that demand.”
• DYK: 155 million people globally faced acute hunger last year, and half of global food aid comes from America’s Heartland.

BIPARTISAN HEARTLAND SUPPORT. Joining the conversation were Members of Congress, finding common ground on the importance of American global engagement, despite partisan battles brewing back in Washington:

• Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) noted that “Minnesota exported over $20 billion last year, while supporting thousands of jobs with great Minnesota companies like Cargill and Land O’Lakes.”
• Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) highlighted that “It’s through [global] partnerships that we’re going to be able to take on the greatest challenges the world faces today.”
• Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) shared that “It’s important that we continue that history as we grow our economy, and advance our national security and our partnerships around the globe.”
• Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) asserted that “U.S. global leadership can’t just come from muscle, it’s got to come from hustle.”
• Representative Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04) noted that “When you export, it creates markets… which then turns to help our local main streets or hospitals or schools – it's all tied together.”

MAYORS PROCLAIM. Showcasing the importance of local connections, a dozen mayors from across the Heartland proclaimed Tuesday, September 28^th as “U.S. Heartland Global Leadership Day,” laying out how their cities are promoting American global leadership: Fort Wayne, La Porte, Noblesville, and Kokomo, IN; Topeka, KS; Lansing, MI; Bismarck, ND; Fremont, Geneva, and Lincoln, NE; Toledo, OH; and Milwaukee, WI.

• As Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said, “I think it's incumbent on all leaders – local, regional, national – to explain to Americans how interconnected the world is.”

FROM HIS TRACTOR. With one in five jobs in America depending on global trade and agriculture, Kent Winter – a fifth generation Kansas farmer who grows half of his crops for overseas markets shared his personal story: “From my perspective from the tractor seat… foreign aid and what’s it worth, you can’t put a price on it.” 

• See more stories like this on the Heartland Hub.

GIVING THE WORLD A SHOT. The White House held a Global COVID-19 Summit two weeks ago on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to rally world leaders together to end the pandemic. A few takeaways:

• President Biden announced an additional 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for low and middle-income countries, bringing the U.S. total to 1.1 billion doses – more than any other nation.
• Secretary of State Blinken and USAID Administrator Power both called for a 70% global vaccination target by this time next year.
• The European Union committed an additional 500 million doses, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada agreed to “focus on vaccine readiness and delivery,” and India will begin exporting vaccines again this month.
• The Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced investments in manufacturing facilities in Africa and India to produce another 2 billion doses.

BUILD BACK BETTER WORLD. Other commitments at the White House COVID Summit include:

• Vice President Harris committed at least $250 million in seed funding with the EU, like-minded nations, and philanthropists towards a Global Health Security Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF).
• The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, will provide $250 million to leverage its existing investments in health systems, infrastructure, and workforce support.
• The DFC will provide more than $383 million in political risk insurance to Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance to facilitate shipments of vaccines to nine countries.
• USAID plans to provide $50 million to expand access to oxygen.
• One notable absence was greater engagement with the private sector, and our friends at the Center for Global Development put together more takeaways and misses.

EXPORTS DOING GOOD BY DOING WELL. At the recent Export-Import Bank Annual Conference, USGLC led a discussion on how to better leverage partnerships and collaboration through international finance agencies and the private sector. Heavy hitters joining the conversation included leaders from EXIM, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.

• Last year EXIM leveraged $5.4 billion in authorizations to support close to $11 billion of U.S. export sales.
• 90% of EXIM’s clients are small businesses, representing tens of thousands of U.S. jobs.

SHUTDOWN AVOIDED. Last Thursday afternoon, with a few hours to spare, the House and Senate passed a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government running until December 3. Also approved by Congress was $2.2 billion in emergency funding for costs associated with the evacuation and resettlement of individuals from Afghanistan and Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance. You can read the full USGLC budget update here.