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Dear Board of Directors,

Last week was certainly not the week that any of us imagined. Another horrific attack in France. The unrest in Turkey. And closer to home - and our own hearts - the passing of Michael Elliott from the ONE Campaign on Thursday. So very sad.

A few critical stories to share - including an incredible tale of our last minute behind-the-scenes work to dramatically improve the GOP Platform. This story is particularly sensitive, so close hold please.

I just landed in Cleveland where our events are shaping up to be very strong. IRI, our premier partner for Tuesday's event, has just announced that in addition to Governor Kasich and Senators Perdue, Ernst and Cotton - Speaker Ryan will join us.

1. GOP Platform Turn-Around. While few read - nor perhaps care about - the party platforms, we know that bad language can haunt us for years when up-and-coming candidates work off these blueprints.

So here is what happened:

Early Work

* Donald Trump made clear that he wanted the 2016 Platform to largely remain the same as 2012. On our issues, there was some concerning language that we wanted to improve.
* We began months ago, meeting with RNC Platform staff and leveraging relationships from all the campaigns. We provided some proposed language - and Bill Lane represented the USGLC at a Platform Committee briefing.
* We met with the Platform Chairs' staff and briefed all three co-chairs of the National Security subcommittee - none of whom were traditional picks.
* We were told: "You're going to love the Platform - it includes your language!" But, as you know, this is an unusual year.

Last Weekend

* On the eve of the Platform Committee convening last Sunday night, a USGLC friend sent us a cell phone photo of a not-yet-released draft of the plank - likely written by a rogue delegate. It was awful - filled with many of the untruths of foreign aid, worse than the 2012 language.
* With 12 hours before the gavel, we drafted amendments in time for the 7:30am deadline for the National Security Subcommittee - and we began mobilizing. One of the most challenging aspects was that the Platform membership was entirely secret, even to members on the committee.
* Without going into all the names, we used old-fashioned politicking and our friends delivered. Big thanks to Senator Graham - who we tracked down in London and he weighed in with Senator Barasso, Chair of the Platform Committee. Our new friend, the Subcommittee Chair, who is also the Idaho GOP Chair held the gavel. The list of unsung heroes goes on.
* We won two key amendments that passed at the subcommittee level, and one amendment that passed at the full committee level.
* In the end, the 2016 GOP Platform includes good language on Africa, global health, and significantly improved language on foreign assistance. American engagement prevailed. You can see the details attached.

The result is nowhere near the richness of commitment of the Democratic Platform, but it is a positive step forward. Given the environment this year, I am pleased and I am very proud of my USGLC colleagues who delivered effectively and significantly in the wee hours of the night. A story that we will not tell publicly.

We will however release an analysis of the Platform this week. As leaders in the USGLC, you should be proud.

2. Veepstakes. We released a profile of the GOP VP pick as soon as it was announced. You can read the public analysis here<http://www.impact2016.org/candidates/mike-pence/>. A few private thoughts:

* Pence's record in the House was clearly aligned with the internationalists. Both his rhetoric and his voting record reflects this.
* As I have shared privately: Governor Pence is no Lindsay Graham or Marco Rubio - he is not a champion. But he is also no Rand Paul or Ted Cruz.
* He has a mixed voting record on USGLC's priorities throughout his Congressional tenure. He played a leadership role in supporting PEPFAR, and supported MCC. The few times State-Foreign Ops appropriations came to the floor, he supported overall funding, but he also voted to cut USIP and UN funding.
* The biggest disappointment is when he served as Chair of the Republican Study Committee. That year, the RSC budget called for a 13% cut to the International Affairs Budget (typical), and of most concern is that the report language called for the elimination of USAID, MCC, OPIC, TDA, and EXIM - and a 10% decrease of Peace Corps. While Pence may have had no active role in developing the budget, he didn't stop it and therefore he owns it.
* Not surprising, he has been a strong opponent of issues related to family planning.
* Should he become Vice President, he could be a supportive voice on our issues, though based on this weekend's launch, there is a real question of whether or not he will have any influence. Time will tell. We have already put in requests to brief his policy team.

We're watching the Democratic side closely next. Fun to see the speculation of USGLC's National Security Advisory Committee Co-Chair Jim Stavridis as a potential VP, and of course 2014 Tribute Dinner honoree Senator Tim Kaine. We will be ready to release a profile of the Dem pick once announced.

3. Shout-Outs to Chairmen Royce and Corker. With the landmark passage of the Global Food Security Act, we worked with friends in California and Tennessee on thank you op-eds to give kudos to the foreign affairs Chairs in the House and Senate. In the Orange County Register<http://www.ocregister.com/articles/food-722530-security-global.html>, former Democratic Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor and former Republican Ambassador Bob Tuttle co-authored a bipartisan op-ed commending Chairman Royce.

Another op-ed in The Tennessean on Senator Corker by two of our state Advisory Committee members will be landing this week.

More from Cleveland soon.

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGL