The USGLC joins Arizona and the nation in mourning the loss of Congressman Jim Kolbe – a longtime friend and fierce champion of America’s leadership in the world, a distinguished Chair of the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, and a longtime member of USGLC’s National Advisory Council. His wise counsel has been a source of strength for our coalition over the years, and he will be sorely missed.

With a highly-respected career of public service – from first serving on the Navy Swift Boat Force in the Vietnam War to serving 20 years on the House Appropriations Committee – Congressman Kolbe consistently linked U.S. global engagement with America’s economic growth and championed U.S. exports to this hemisphere and across the globe. A proponent of modernization of America’s foreign assistance programs including the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the PEPFAR program to combat HIV/AIDS around the world, and the importance of public-private partnerships in boosting effective development, Kolbe said “The connection between U.S. foreign assistance, the private sector, and economic growth is clear: eight of America’s top ten export markets are former aid recipients, and all are now close U.S. allies.”

Congressman Kolbe played a pivotal role in launching USGLC’s nationwide advocacy and education, partnering with USGLC at our first local event at Thunderbird Graduate School in Glendale, Arizona in April 2006. This engagement served as a blueprint for USGLC state-based outreach that continues to this day. His resolute commitment to connect America’s role in the world to kitchen table issues for American families is an inspiration as the nation faces increasingly complex global challenges. We salute Congressman Kolbe’s lifetime of service to our nation and send our thoughts and prayers to Hector and his entire family.