Subject: What a week!
From: "Liz.Schrayer" <[email-masked]>
To: "Liz.Schrayer" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2018 15:57:08 +0000

Dear Board of Directors,

While there seems to be plenty of turmoil in Washington (and on Twitter) – with your help – this was an extraordinary week for the USGLC. This year’s Tribute Dinner was one of our most spirited and celebratory, and I’m so incredibly grateful to each of you.

A few updates to share on the dinner and beyond:

1. TRIBUTE DINNER. The night was one to remember as we celebrated our honorees and some of our nation’s finest public servants. We had our strongest board participation ever, and most exciting – we hit a new record on the fundraising front at more than $700,000.

  *   I know how personally touched each of our 3 honorees were by our tributes on Wednesday night. Mark Green told me his colleagues within the Administration were very pleased – and Chairman Royce’s video from the House Foreign Affairs Committee that we produced has been reverberating around Capitol Hill under the banner of Ted Yoho’s “Heck Yeah!” Tribute. Share it here<https://twitter.com/USGLC/status/1070728063149846528>!

  *   Our theme – “Celebrating America’s Diplomats and Development Professionals” – resonated so powerfully. In particular, current and former public servants – many that had felt so beaten down over the years – were truly moved by the shout out to this treasured profession.

  *   While the timing certainly created challenges, I was immensely proud of our team in how we integrated President George H.W. Bush’s legacy with the tribute and inclusion of his voice throughout the night.

All in all, it was clear that the community showed up ready to celebrate. Unlike the past few years, people felt there really was a lot to celebrate. While no one is naïve about the challenges in the world, in the White House, or around the country – legislation is passing with bipartisan support and resources are holding steady. The energy in the room was as spirited as I have seen in years – and the community was very grateful for the USGLC’s leadership.

2. HEATHER NAUERT TO USUN. While we haven’t seen the official notification from the White House, President Trump announced yesterday that Heather Nauert will be the next USUN Ambassador as he boarded Marine One. Most of you met Heather at our October board meeting – and a few of us have had additional engagement with her as well.

  *   One thing to watch: Nauert will undoubtedly have a rigorous confirmation process but one person in particular to watch will be Senator Menendez, who has been placing holds on almost all State and USAID nominees in response to the Administration recently breaking a “gentleman’s hold” he had on a pot of funding. Her lack of foreign policy depth is certain to be an issue among Democrats, yet Republicans ultimately will have the votes.

  *   While not for public comment, our take on our board’s meeting with her was that Heather has very solid instincts in support of our issues, though not significant depth of knowledge or experience. Given that they are downgrading the position from a Cabinet-level post, we can expect that John Bolton and Secretary Pompeo will be calling the shots.

  *   At the White House, it’s looking more and more likely that General Kelly will be out shortly – with press rumors that he and the president haven’t spoken for days. The most likely candidate for the job is Nick Ayers – currently the VP’s Chief of Staff – with whom we met together at our board meeting last May.

3. CONGRESSIONAL WRAP-UP. In the wake of President George H.W. Bush’s death, Congress extended government funding for two weeks – which makes December 21st the new deadline to finalize Fiscal Year 2019 spending.

  *   We understand that the State-Foreign Operations bill is all-but-final. However, as the president and Democrats negotiate funding for the border wall, we continue to make the case that the International Affairs Budget should be funded at no less than the Senate-approved level.

  *   In addition to the spending bill, Congress is wrapping up work on a number of pieces of legislation, including the Women’s Economic Empowerment Act – which we expect to pass the Senate and head to the President’s desk before the end of the year.

4. CONSERVATIVE OUTREACH. On Monday, we’re hosting an off-the-record salon lunch with more than a dozen conservative TV commentators and writers who are regulars on FOX and CNN – most of whom are pro-Trump validators. Our special guest is none other than Mark Green who will be updating this group on his work at USAID, reform efforts, and the economic competition with China in Africa and beyond.

5. GOOD AND WELFARE. A few final congratulations to share:

  *   Boeing’s Anne Marie Chotvacs has just stepped down from our board with her transition back to Capitol Hill to be GOP Staff Director for incoming House Appropriations Ranking Member Kay Ganger. Very sad for the USGLC, but great for our country!

  *   Dan Glickman just received a well-deserved honorary doctorate from Kansas State University and gave the commencement address. Congratulations Dr. Glickman!

  *   The LEGO Foundation just awarded Sesame Workshop a $100 million grant to support play-based learning for children affected by the Syrian and Rohingya refugee crises.

  *   And on our staff, Lindsay Plack and Mary Laurie have just announced they are both pregnant – soon adding to the growing families already in our midst with new parents Derek Gianino, Emily French, and Jeremy Tolbert. A day care center coming soon!

The USGLC staff is extraordinary, and I am so proud to work with such a dedicated, talented, and passionate team of colleagues. Thank you to our magnificent board for all your support, not only throughout the year, but particularly this week – with a special shout out to P&G’s Tara Hogan Charles and ASU’s Anne Simmons-Benton, who helped bring the night home with our wonderful co-chairs, David Taylor and Michael Crow.

Watch for one more update before the holidays on the final budget results!

Enjoy the weekend,

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC