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With Syria and the presidential debates dominating the headlines, we
traveled to battleground Ohio this past week, bringing our issues to
the voters.

You could hear a pin drop for the entire hour that former Secretary of
Defense Bob Gates - one of USGLC's most treasured advisors
- took the stage at our Columbus Impact 2016 event. Even I was
taken aback when the former CIA Director compared the $1 billion cost
to deploy a brigade of American soldiers to the "relatively
little expense" of investing in "vaccinations, education,
agricultural support."

Lots of intriguing tidbits from the event in this edition of THE
GLOBAL GAB, along with how Congress averted a government shutdown
before hitting the campaign trail.

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

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THE GLOBAL GAB
October 2, 2016

LUNCH WITH A SPY. With less than 40 days before this year's election,
the USGLC's Impact 2016 battleground state events kicked off in Ohio
with Secretary Bob Gates reminding the packed house that "the
burden of greatness is the burden of global responsibility... and
if we choose to walk away... we will be the ones that will pay the
price." Click here for the best photos and quotes from the
former CIA Director's full-hearted endorsement of development and
diplomacy.

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=Bucwmmy5qWOWE6KD2wGFag

BUCKEYE BATTLEGROUND. Despite the intensely polarized election
environment, it was really impressive to feature remarks at our event
from an unlikely bipartisan duo - Ohio's Republican and
Democratic Party chairs. Plus, the former GOP presidential hopeful,
Governor John Kasich, stopped by the gathering to reinforce his
long-time commitment to America's global leadership: "We don't
have a right as a nation to retreat from the world, I mean, what are
we, crazy?" Get the whole story in Stars and Stripes.

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=rGKrB3UXVGOFYd3PnTraIg

STOPGAP SHOWDOWN. Good news, the government didn't shut down! Congress
voted to keep the country running just days before the end of the
fiscal year, and included the long-awaited $1.1 billion to combat the
Zika virus (most for inside the U.S., but $175 million for overseas).
Overall funding for international affairs is largely the same as
current levels, with a cut of less than half a percent - similar
to almost every other federal budget account. Expect Congress to be
back at the negotiating table before funds run out on December 9th.

CABLE GUY. While foreign assistance didn't come up last Monday in the
debate, it did hours later during Morning Joe's debate analysis.
"Too many people think that we give foreign aid just to be
nice," said Joe Scarborough, the former Florida congressman.
It's in America's interest to promote "strategic
alliances" and make sure "countries are more
stable."

PEACE COLOMBIA. Considered a hallmark foreign assistance success,
America's Plan Colombia initiative can add another impressive chapter.
Last Monday, President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC rebels officially
signed a peace deal - ending five decades of fighting that
killed 220,000 and displaced 5 million. Does it matter here at home?
U.S. exports to Colombia quadrupled in recent years to over $15
billion in 2015.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. Congress just passed new legislation to crack
down on the billions of dollars generated for criminal and terrorist
networks from wildlife trafficking, categorizing this growing problem
as a crime alongside weapons and drug trafficking. Kudos to Chairman
Royce, Ranking Member Engel, and Senators Flake and Coons for another
bipartisan victory for U.S. leadership overseas.

PEACE CORPS PLUS UP? Despite its budget staying relatively flat in
recent years, Peace Corps applications have surged - more than
doubling since 2013. For the first time, the popular agency made
campaign trail news on Friday when Hillary Clinton called for
"growing the Peace Corps" as part of her pitch for
national service to "solve the world's most pressing
challenges." No specific numbers though.

KNOWLEDGE GAP. A new survey has found that 9 out of 10 Americans are
misinformed, believing that extreme poverty has either increased or
stayed same over the past 20 years, when in fact the number of people
who are living in extreme poverty has been cut in half.

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=dQVcN6brPEpSz0G_37HMvw

MEASLES MILESTONE. Two years after the largest measles outbreak in the
U.S., the World Health Organization has declared the Americas the
first region to eliminate the highly infectious virus that used to
kill 500,000 children every year.

DIPLOMAT DANGLING. This past week the first U.S. ambassador to Cuba in
50 years was nominated - a high-ranking U.S. diplomat, Jeffrey
DeLaurentis. But opposition among some senators to current policies
means it's unlikely he'll be confirmed before the end of this
Administration.

TOP-ED. In an opinion piece in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, former
Republican Governor of Ohio, Bob Taft, and former Chairman of the
Democratic National Committee, David Wilhelm, drive home the
importance of development and diplomacy for our next
Commander-in-Chief.

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=yKEroSlP5UxLQyezTO4E8Q


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