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Dear Board of Directors,

I hope you are ready for March Madness. And while I love watching basketball, I’m talking about the Budget Madness that is about to begin “bigly”. Lots to share on this last February weekend.

1. BUDGET WOES. We’re deep in campaign mode – tons of activity with our Leading Globally Matters Locally campaign. Next week, we’ll be releasing a letter to the Hill signed by 120+ retired generals and admirals and we are gearing up for a nationwide mobilization week March 20th. Get in touch with Jason or Lindsay if your teams aren’t already plugged into this effort. As for some of the intel, here is what we’re picking up:

* OMB will spend this week negotiating and finalizing the topline funding levels with each agency. We’re appealing directly to OMB Director Mulvaney and, more importantly, to Secretary Tillerson to avoid deep and disproportionate cuts.
* The Administration’s “skinny budget” will be released on March 14th (although it could be delayed a few days) and will only include topline funding levels for each agency.
* From meetings with very senior officials at State Department and Capitol Hill, we’re extremely fearful of draconian cuts in the Administration’s request – potentially far worse than the initial projections of 10-16%.
* While the “skinny budget” won’t include detail on programmatic funding levels, the topline numbers will give us a good indication of the Administration’s priorities. Things to watch: Is State/USAID cut disproportionate? Are ExIm and OPIC on the chopping block? How will MCC fare?
* As for the Hill, we’re working to turn all of the “commitments” from our Lobby Day earlier this month into action – by ensuring Members add the International Affairs Budget to their Appropriations “wish list” request letters to the Chairmen and asking members to testify at the upcoming House Appropriations Member Hearing. So far, we’re pleased – but still lots to do.

2. IMPORTANT READS. Michael Gerson and Raj Shah’s op-ed in today’s Washington Post is a must read on foreign aid. If you’re on Twitter, click here to share<https://twitter.com/MJGerson/status/835470046734483456>! And in case you missed Bill Lane’s terrific piece in the WSJ, here are both op-eds:

* ‘America first’ shouldn’t mean cutting foreign aid<https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/02/24/america-first-shouldnt-mean-cutting-foreign-aid/> – Michael Gerson and Raj Sha
* Confessions of a Free-Trade Lobbyist<https://www.wsj.com/articles/confessions-of-a-free-trade-lobbyist-1487894562> – Bill Lane

3. A TOWN HALL WIN? With all the outraged protests at town hall meetings, we achieved something pretty unique this past week. We hosted Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart – a key Appropriations Committee member – for a packed public event in his district with top constituents, great press, and only one lone protester. And the Congressman was thrilled! Hopefully our model works even in this crazy environment. Here are some important highlights:

* To start, the Congressman’s office was wildly concerned about protesters at the event. But the USGLC team was amazing – carefully vetting all the invitations and participants, adding security who escorted the one lone protester out. In essence, we created a safe space for Diaz-Balart to engage his constituents.
* Since the Congressman didn’t host a town hall this week, the USGLC effectively became his “public event” during recess, creating an opportunity for him to double-down on our cause.
* With all the right people in the room – including top business leaders from Miami and the district – Diaz-Balart called out his friends by name from the stage. And in front of his constituents, he promised: “I will continue to fight to protect this crucial element of our foreign policy, of our national security policy, of our diplomatic policy, which is overseas investment in foreign assistance.”
* In the end, we shored up a key champion with the support he needs – and we earned some fantastic press coverage with a top story online and in print in the Miami Herald<http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article134103924.html>.

My read: Members of Congress are looking for a safe space to engage with their constituents and even in this tumultuous time, our state events can work – though it did require significantly more groundwork. Some policymakers will choose a private forum, but either way, the USGLC remains a trusted partner for policymakers to engage with their constituents.

4. EXCITING NEW STAFF HIRE. After four fantastic years – the sad news is that our Director of Strategic Initiatives, Derek Gianino, is departing the USGLC. The exciting news (though still confidential until the press release later this week) is that we’ve just hired Matt Moore to fill this vital role.

* Derek was instrumental in pioneering our field program and leading our Impact 2016 initiative. He was particularly key with our GOP outreach and navigating our work with the new Administration. He will be dearly missed as he heads over to the Chamber of Commerce to work with our Board member John Murphy on trade. John, you got a winner!
* Matt is an extraordinary friend and ally, serving currently as the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. We first met on one of our Africa trips, where he became a passionate believer in our cause.
* He brings to the job a treasure trove of professional and personal connections at the highest levels of this new Administration as well as with leading Republican colleagues across the country. He is often seen on FOX News and other conservative cable shows, and is tied into the entire South Carolina delegation – Graham, Scott, Haley, and yes, new OMB Director Mick Mulvaney. Matt also brings contacts with national and regional faith leaders and extraordinary credibility with conservative audiences, where he will play an important role for us.
* Matt will remain living in South Carolina with his family, but will travel to DC every other week. If you haven’t met him, you will soon learn what a wonderful addition Matt is to the USGLC family.

5. OTHER TIDBITS

* We still await an announcement for USAID Administrator and other relevant appointments. Given the slow picks for Deputies, including at State, the White House is just not making these positions a priority. And with Tillerson traveling, the process has slowed. Good news is that the same names seem to be in play.
* Check out our profile<http://www.impact2016.org/global-plum-book/positions/national-security-advisor-h-r-mcmaster/> on new National Security Advisor Lt. General H.R. McMaster on our issues. Top quote: “Military campaigns must be subordinate to a larger strategy that integrates political, military, diplomatic, economic and strategic communication efforts.”
* Dan Glickman led a successful bipartisan CoDel of 26 Members of Congress to India through the Aspen Institute where they visited a USAID project and met with Prime Minister Modi.
* Lots of former Administration officials are joining our community’s ranks. Here are just a few: Carrie Hessler-Radelet, former Peace Corps head will be President/CEO of PCI; Heather Higginbottom, former Deputy Secretary of State will be joining CARE as their new COO; Susan Reichel, former Counsel at USAID will be President/COO at International Youth Foundation; and Jill Biden is now Chair of the Board at Save the Children. And I trust you saw that Gayle Smith will be taking the helm at the ONE Campaign.

On this beautiful Sunday morning, I wanted to share one thought. I was reflecting on the mood of our recent board retreat, and I know many of us felt a bit empty walking in – but I hope everyone left energized by our plan and strategy. I know I did. I know that for those of us that live in Washington, it is often challenging these days. We can get very discouraged with the state of play – especially working in the international space. The world is just not letting up!

We typically greet one another with “How are you?” – and everyone laughs, and seems unsure how to answer. So I have shifted to greeting people with “How’s your family?”

So on a personal note, in the midst of all the challenging work, my oldest son got engaged this past weekend to his girlfriend of seven years. While not unexpected, we couldn’t be more thrilled. While I hope you continue to make a world of difference in your work, since I haven’t seen most of you since the board meeting, please send me a quick email and share – not only how your work is going, but also, how’s your family?

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC