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In a whirlwind of first week activities, the new Administration jumped
quickly into the foreign policy fray from hosting the UK Prime
Minister - along with five foreign leader calls today - to
signing several relevant executive orders, all straight from campaign
trail promises.

On the development and diplomacy agenda, there were a few details that
have already raised some strong concerns from Capitol Hill about the
implications for advancing America's interests around the world.

Check out this latest edition of the GLOBAL GAB including the latest
friends showing up in the Administration, confirmations, and the
all-important budget battles ahead.

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

----------

THE GLOBAL GAB: First moves by President Trump, More Confirmations,
Budget
January 28, 2017

CIVILIAN SHOUTOUT. In his first communication to Defense Department
staff, Secretary James Mattis reinforced his commitment to civilian
forces saying, "Recognizing that no nation is secure without
friends, we will work with the State Department to strengthen our
alliances." No surprise, but good to hear. Expect a strong
Mattis-Tillerson team.

EXECUTIVE ACTIONS. This week saw a flurry of new White House policy
announcements from refugees to the development agenda - along
with some "leaks" of those in the works. While all were
part of the campaign trail rhetoric, the details were far more
expansive in a few areas.

The reactions reinforce the division in the country on America's
role in the world. Conservative thinker and columnist Charles
Krauthammer: "For 70 years, we sustained an international system
of open commerce and democratic alliances that has enabled America and
the West to grow and thrive. Global leadership is what made America
great." He concluded, "We abandon it at our peril"
- which is at the heart of the debate.

BIG CUT? While many - including the new UN Secretary General and
new U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley - have called for
reform at the United Nations, a draft executive order leaked to the NY
Times is reportedly calling for a more dramatic review of
contributions to the UN. The draft calls for an executive branch
committee and recommends a cut of "at least 40 percent" to
voluntary UN funding - which could include life-saving
humanitarian and global health programs - but the latest reports
suggest that the order has been delayed to allow more vetting by
officials.

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=Fh4uHv2iO0swx7nlARdKyw

MISSING THE MARK. While reform at the UN has been a winning consensus
point, this latest draft order has raised bipartisan concern with many
who feel it went too far calling out development aid and other
multilateral humanitarian programs that advance America's
security and economic interests here at home. Our friends at the
Better World Campaign report that the proposal to cut funding to the
UN "would be counter-productive and may actually increase costs
to American taxpayers."

POLICY PRESCRIPTION. As expected, President Trump reinstated the
Mexico City Policy this week banning funding to foreign NGOs that
receive non-U.S. funds for abortion counseling and services - a
policy that changes as quickly as the party occupying the White House
exits the gates. What has drawn legislative opposition more than usual
is that the executive order went far beyond past Republican
administrations by expanding the ban to affect all global health
programs - not just family planning - and could impact as
much as 15 times more funding compared to past versions of the policy.

CONNECT THE WORLD. Building on the incredible momentum on global
development in the last Congress, the House just passed two key bills
within the first days of the legislative session. The Digital GAP Act
will help connect a billion and a half people to the Internet around
the world and the READ Act will strengthen basic education and improve
literacy in the developing world. Next stop, the Senate.

GOOD WILL. Actor Matt Damon - and co-founder of international
NGO Water.org - just said that President Trump could make
investing in safe and clean water around the world a top priority in
his Administration. Highlighting the CEO President's business
background, Damon pointed out that Trump is uniquely suited to
appreciate that "for every dollar you invest in this sector, you
get back four." While Damon admits he didn't vote for
Trump, he said "I'm rooting heavily for him" because
"if he does well, we all do well."

PLUM PERSONNEL. The new Administration continues to staff up key
positions with some old and new friends in the mix. Check out our
Global Plum Book with all the top 100 foreign policy posts across the
government. Here's the latest:
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=OUZkCaJ4b5XFpe8wSYd23w

* AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY. In a 96-4 vote, the now-former South
Carolina Governor was confirmed by the Senate to become our
nation's 29th ambassador to the UN In her confirmation
hearing, she called U.S. leadership in the world
"essential" for advancing "humanitarian
goals" and "America's national
interest."

* DINA POWELL. The former Goldman Sachs partner and Assistant
Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs has been
tapped for a senior White House role on entrepreneurship,
economic growth, and women's empowerment. Previously, she
oversaw the Goldman Sachs Foundation's 10,000 Women global
initiative and has been a power leader and innovator in
advancing women's global empowerment.

* AMBASSADOR DEBORAH BIRX. In a surprise move, Trump has asked
President Obama's HIV/AIDS coordinator to continue on in
an interim capacity, and we learned this came at the urging of
Ivanka Trump and Vice President Pence, a long-time supporter of
the PEPFAR program.

* KEN JUSTER. The former export champion from the George W. Bush
White House has just been named as a Deputy National Security
Advisor and as Deputy Assistant to the President for
International Economic Affairs - the expected sherpa to
the G7/G8 and G20.

* DIPLOMAT DEPARTURES. While there is always transition and
turnover, this past week saw perhaps the largest exodus of
senior leadership at the State Department at one time. Multiple
top officials left or were asked to leave including the top
undersecretary of management and multiple assistant secretaries
- including the head of diplomatic security. With Rex
Tillerson expected to be confirmed next week by the Senate,
there will be pressure to staff up very quickly.

BUDGET CRUNCH. We've learned that departments and agencies
across the government have been requested by the Office of Management
and Budget to prepare scenarios for cuts. While running these numbers
isn't out of the ordinary, the request for more than a couple
proposals with cuts of more than 15% is unusual. With no budget deal
in place, the squeeze on resources in the coming year will be very
real - a huge challenge for our nation to keep pace with growing
crises around the globe.

WHAT TO WATCH. With Senators John Boozman and Chris Coons co-chairing
next Thursday's National Prayer Breakfast, we'll be
watching to see if commitments to combat global poverty come up
- particularly with past speakers including Bono and former
USAID Administrator Raj Shah. The keynote is always a secret, but lots
of speculation that Vice President Mike Pence is a likely pick -
and many are hopeful that he will speak to his long-time support for
fighting HIV/AIDS around the world.

TILLERSON TALK. On this past Sunday's CBS morning show, Senator
Lindsey Graham made the case that "building a small schoolhouse
for a young girl in Afghanistan, Syria, or Iraq" will do more to
combat violent extremism "than any bomb you could drop."
The Senator also shared how Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson
understands these sentiments telling him: "When America
doesn't lead, other people will. And the vacuum is always filled
by bad actors. We have to have a foreign policy that engages the
world. We need to lead from the front."


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