Last night President Obama used his State of the Union address to talk about keeping America competitive in the global economy. When 1 in 5 American jobs are now linked to trade, President Obama emphasized what business leaders already know—the future of American economic prosperity is inextricably linked with the rest of the world, and some of our greatest opportunities for growth lay in economic engagement abroad.

Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA) took to the floor yesterday to warn his colleagues of the dangers of slashing the International Affairs budget. Currently, the House of Representatives is considering cutting non-security spending back to FY 2008 levels. However, as Rep. Berman pointed out, the definition of “security spending” excludes funding for diplomatic and international development [...]

Today all of Washington awaits the President’s State of the Union speech, which is expected to focus largely on jobs and the domestic economy.  House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will give the Republican response to the President’s message, as well as lead an effort in the House today to pass a resolution calling [...]

Lt. General Costello served in the United States Army for 32 years and joined NSAC in 2008. We extend our condolences to his wife and family.

Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart (D-CO) was on Capitol Hill last week meeting with new members of Congress about living in the age of globalization and how important the International Affairs budget is to our national and economic security.