Subject: The last 72 hours, more intel
From: "Liz.Schrayer" <[email-masked]>
To: "Liz.Schrayer" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2017 16:09:45 +0000

Dear Board of Directors,

A proposed 37% cut to our budget certainly gets your heart pumping! That’s the latest according to the WSJ on the Administration’s proposed cuts to State/USAID – bringing funding back to levels not seen since 9/11! Not unexpected, but so deeply disturbing. These cuts are not only draconian, but highly disproportionate, perhaps more than any other federal agency.

In addition, I’m learning more details about the proposal, which won’t be final until March 16. I don’t know them all, but I do know there are many accounts that could be “zeroed out”. The effort by some to dismantle USAID as we know it is real.

The good news – yes there is some – is that we have many friends on Capitol Hill, and they still hold the purse strings and thanks to you – the USGLC had a plan and a community that was ready to act. And we did:

On Sunday night, while reading my Twitter feed as the “La La Land – Moonlight” drama was playing out, I saw a tweet that the Administration’s budget framework was going to drop Monday – days earlier than expected. In digging around for details, I saw their spin: “significant cuts are expected for the EPA and State Department.” In a quick decision, Sidney and I decided to forego the exclusive press play on our 121 military leaders letter planned for later in the week, and release the letter immediately. Who knew that a decision made in the wee hours of the night could turn out to be so critical?

Sidney landed an early morning Reuters wire story. And the rest was wildly successful:

  *   MASSIVE PRESS. The story of our military leaders opposing the cuts to State/USAID dominated all the cable channels for two days. Practically every major national print and online outlet covered the letter, which resulted in wall-to-wall coverage on CNN, FOX, and MSNBC – including the CBS Evening News. I’m grateful to Generals Christman and Hawley and Admiral Stavridis who made the rounds on TV – check out all the coverage below.

  *   CONGRESS COMES ON BOARD. With the support of the military leaders, Members of Congress (who are usually loathe to respond to rumors) started to speak up. It certainly helped that our community was bombarding them with requests. So far, nearly a dozen Republican Senators and key House members have weighed in with criticism of the Administration’s proposals. Highlights include:
     *   Majority Leader McConnell said “I for one – think the diplomatic portion of the federal budget is very important”
     *   Senator Rubio devoted an entire floor speech. Watch it here.<https://youtu.be/4VCnV1FylKY> It’s remarkable.
     *   Senator Graham called the proposal “dead on arrival” and nailed it during his CNN Town Hall with Senator McCain last night.
     *   New House Appropriations Chairman Frelinghuysen had some of his first comments on our budget since becoming Chair, “I think foreign aid is pretty important myself”
     *   House Foreign Affairs Chairman Royce, “I am very concerned by reports of deep cuts that could damage efforts to combat, terrorism, save lives, and create opportunities for American workers.”
     *   Senator Todd Young – a freshmen Senator we engaged on the campaign trail – cited Mattis’ famous quote on needing to buy more ammunition without fully funding State.
     *   And plenty others are weighing in including Senators McCain, Coons, Collins, Cardin, and Leahy.
     *   And the House Democrats rallied more than 100 signatures on a letter opposing the cuts.

  *   BEHIND THE SCENES. We engaged former Secretaries of States to reach out to Secretary Tillerson – and also reached Secretary Mattis, OMB Director Mulvaney, and key officials at the NSC and White House. While I don’t know if any of this will work to impact the number, I do think it’s important for the Administration to hear our concerns. They have taken a frontal attack on foreign assistance and our most effective messengers are making a strong case.

Few things you can do to help this week:

  *   Tweet – VERY IMPORTANT to thank the lawmakers for positive statements + reinforce the military letter. Here’s an easy page<http://www.usglc.org/2017/03/02/top-lawmakers-oppose-proposed-cuts-to-state-department/> to quickly retweet ALL the great Tweets.
  *   As part of our Leading Globally Matters Locally campaign, Lindsay will be sending out a final list with all the lawmakers that have spoken out, please send notes to lawmakers.
  *   Make sure your team is plugged into our March 20th Mobilization week. We’ll need your voice in a big way.

Take a moment to watch some of the clips below of our admirals and generals on the news. They're great. While the budget proposal is so concerning, the outpouring of support is inspiring. I can barely keep up with the calls and emails offering to support our effort – from our community to prominent individuals on both sides of the aisles. It is energizing. So thank you for your continued help. I know we will need it.

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

Top Media

[http://www.usglc.org/downloads/2017/03/brett-baier.jpg]<http://video.foxnews.com/v/5341966807001/?playlist_id=930909819001>

  *   FOX: General Christman on Brett Baier’s show<http://video.foxnews.com/v/5341966807001/?playlist_id=930909819001> [video]
  *   CNN: “Savage Cut” says General Christman<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-IdZJG2WfM> [video]
  *   MSNBC: Admiral Stavridis on Andrea Mitchell<http://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/adm-stavridis-mistake-to-increase-defense-budget-over-soft-power-886645315519> [video]
  *   WSJ: Generals Appeal for Continued Diplomatic Funding<http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2017/02/28/generals-appeal-for-continued-diplomatic-funding/>
  *   CNN: Retired Generals: Don't Cut State Department<http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/27/politics/generals-letter-state-department-budget-cuts>
(this was the top story on CNN.com for hours!)
  *   WASHINGTON POST: Retired Generals Opposing Trump’s Proposed Foreign Aid Cuts<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/02/27/retired-generals-cite-past-comments-from-mattis-while-opposing-trumps-proposed-foreign-aid-cuts/>
  *   NY TIMES: Critics Assail Cuts in Foreign Spending as Trump Moves to Boost Military<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/us/politics/trump-foreign-military-spending-cuts-criticism.html>
  *   POLITICO: Diplomats Worry Trump Plans to Starve State With Cuts<http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-budget-state-department-235454>
  *   REUTERS: Retired U.S. Military Officers Urge Congress to Fully Fund Diplomacy, Aid<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-budget-foreignpolicy-idUSKBN1661YK>
  *   CBS: More Than 100 Generals Sign Letter Warning Against Budget Cuts<http://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-than-100-generals-sign-letter-warning-against-budget-cuts/>
  *   TODAY SHOW: President Trump Set to Address Joint Session of Congress<http://www.today.com/video/president-trump-set-to-address-joint-session-of-congress-886426691801>