The American Engagement Caucus
Yesterday on Capitol Hill, Reps. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), Anh Cao (R-LA) and Bill Delahunt (D-MA) held a press conference to officially launch a new congressional “American Engagement Caucus” in Congress. During the press conference, Rep. Carnahan – the new Chair of the House Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight — made it clear that the caucus would be actively engaged in raising awareness among Members of Congress, their staff and the public about the importance of greater U.S. multilateral engagement, which he noted “is clearly in American security, economic, and moral interests.” Amb. Nancy Soderberg, President of the Connect U.S. Fund, and Lindsay Coates, Vice President of InterAction, a USGLC member, also spoke at the press conference, signaling the intent of the Caucus to work actively with the NGO and public sector communities in support of its objectives.
The USGLC is pleased that smart power will be one of the Caucus’ areas of focus, and we look forward to working with its bipartisan membership to secure greater resources for the U.S. International Affairs Budget and its smart power tools. “To achieve its security objectives, America must project smart power,” stated Reps. Carnahan and Cao in their op-ed in The Hill.
