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Dear Board of Directors,

As the transition picks continue, I wanted to quickly update you on a few new developments and our latest intel.

1. Time for a "Mattis Plan"?

* As I am sure you’ve heard, General James “Mad Dog” Mattis was nominated for Secretary of Defense.
* What many may not realize is that the last General who got a waiver to serve in a civilian capacity was General George Marshall and that certainly turned out alright for our agenda! While Marshall was at State, not DOD, maybe we should start calling for a “Mattis Plan” – doubling foreign aid??
* In all seriousness, Mattis has been a true friend of the USGLC’s mission and message. And I had a nice email exchange with him last night congratulating him. He serves on USGLC’s National Security Advisory Council and has traveled across the country with us, speaking at many of our state events on the importance of foreign assistance, development, and diplomacy.
* We originally met Mattis when we hosted him at a salon dinner. He was heading U.S. Central Command and soon after, I was with some of our military leaders visiting Senator Wicker who stepped out of an Armed Services hearing to visit with us. He told us the current witness was Mattis – and so I suggested that he ask him what he thinks of potential cuts to international affairs programs, fairly confident we would like the answer. Little did we know that the Senator would actually ask and that Mattis would famously answer: “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”
* While Mattis will certainly have other priorities, having a friend at the Pentagon – similar to Secretary Bob Gates – will be very helpful. Check out our statement<http://www.usglc.org/2016/12/01/usglc-president-mattis-a-smart-choice-who-understands-civilian-tools-complement-military/> and profile<http://www.impact2016.org/global-plum-book/positions/related-secretary-of-defense/>.

2. KT McFarland to the NSC.

* While the National Security Advisor pick, Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, does not have a track record on our issues, his selected deputy, KT McFarland is all-in. She is another USGLC friend and has spoken at many of our state events for years along with moderating some of our national events.
* In fact, KT was scheduled to moderate our final Impact 2016 event in Tampa with General Stan McChrystal and had to cancel at the last minute because she was helping prep Trump before the final presidential debate. However, we were able to brief her before she went in and she brought up key humanitarian issues including the Syrian refugee crisis and the millions of children who are out of school.
* After being appointed, she told me that she has loved being part of the USGLC mission and looks forward to continuing to work with us.

3. Secretary of State List Narrows.

* With Mattis and Flynn, another general (Petraeus) may be too much of a lift. Senator Corker’s folks believe he is still in the mix and yesterday’s rumors included Romney as Secretary and Bolton as Deputy – hmmm.
* We are watching the pick closely with contacts in all the camps, but obviously some candidates are significantly better on our issues than others. Will keep you posted.

4. Other Transition Items.

* Landing teams still have not met with any of the aid agencies (including USAID) and just briefly at State and the NSC. And we are hearing that some agencies under the International Affairs Budget may never get a visit from the transition team. Not good.
* Lots of ideas are floating around about restructuring – and some are very, very concerning. Remember the old “Tobias model”? We are working hard to get our friends on the Hill to weigh in with a message: “Make no major changes for the first year” – hoping they will see the transformational changes that have taken place over the past decade.
* We had invited Governor Nikki Haley – named to be the next UN Ambassador – to join us for the VIP reception at next week’s Tribute Dinner and while she was very interested, the Transition Team doesn’t want their nominees doing public events until after the nomination hearings – fairly standard – but this bodes well for an early event with her. Lots of mutual friends.
* Fresh off our Atlanta event with House Budget Chair Tom Price, the newly nominated HHS Secretary will be in charge of elements of the global health agenda, if confirmed. We are leveraging the newly strengthened relationship to outline the relevant HHS global health agenda and key positions.
* Finally, budget – budget – budget. Did I mention I am very worried about next year’s international affairs budget? More soon.

5. Capitol Hill Finale.

* Lawmakers continue to chug along with the hope of adjourning late next week.
* Appropriations Committees are still debating how long to extend the Continuing Resolution before it runs out on December 9th and what to do with the “budget amendment” that includes $6 billion for international affairs funding.
* We should know today who will take the helm of the State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee on the House side with rumors abound that Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart will take the gavel with Rep. Kay Granger heading to the DOD Subcommittee. Either way, we should have a defender of our issues in the chair.

6. Next Week’s Tribute Dinner!

Last but not least, don’t miss our annual USGLC dinner next Thursday. Not only will it be spectacular (with some special surprises) – I don’t think it has ever been more important to galvanize the power of our community. So please – make that extra call for an additional table, bring that new prospect, and help us prepare for what could be one of the most challenging seasons ever.

See you Thursday the 8th!

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGL