International Focus Magazine Vol. 3, #10 | Page 42

5. New Faces, Freshmen
Veterans Set to Reshape
Hill
VETERAN VOICES. With more
than 400 veterans having run this cycle –
twice as many as past elections – engage-
ment with these candidates underscored
how veterans are consistently some of
the most powerful champions for re-
sources for America’s civilian overseas
toolkit. The election now ushers into the
House at least 17 new freshman veterans
along with several former national secu-
rity officials.
NATIONAL SECURITY STAND-
OUTS. A number of winning House
candidates will bring impressive back-
grounds that can help drive support for
international engagement:
• Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-2) – For-
mer Navy SEAL and has expressed
support for civilian diplomatic and
development agencies in partnership
with Department of Defense
• Young Kim (R-CA-39) – For-
mer staffer for House Foreign Affairs
Committee Chairman Ed Royce
• Tom Malinowski (D-NJ-7) – For-
mer diplomat who served as Assistant
Secretary of State for Democracy, Hu-
man Rights, and Labor
• Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11) – For-
mer Navy fighter pilot, has called for
“fully-staffed State Department to
carry out the hard, necessary work of
strategic diplomacy”
• Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-8) – Former
CIA officer, who worked in the intel-
ligence community during Bush and
Obama Administrations
• Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-7)
– Former CIA officer, has called for
supporting diplomats as part of U.S.
national security strategy
• Mike Waltz (R-FL-6) – Former
Army Green Beret veteran, who au-
thored the book Warrior Diplomat
CHAMBER JUMP. Also of note,
soon-to-be former House members
headed to the Senate have shown real
leadership, including Senators-elect
Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Jacky Rosen
(D-NV) – along with both Arizona can-
didates, Reps. Martha McSally (R-AZ)
and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) currently in
a race that is too close to call. See Senate
section below for more details.
42 iF Magazine | November 2018
6. Opportunities for Bipartisan-
ship Despite Expected Gridlock
NEXT MOVES. With a divided gov-
ernment, the tension is expected to run
high as House Democrats increase their
oversight authority over the executive
branch – with most pundits predicting
that not a lot will get done on Capitol
Hill. Yet, in addition to infrastructure,
perhaps global development could once
again be a unifying agenda for Republi-
cans and Democrats.
BIPARTISANSHIP? In recent years,
lawmakers built a strong legacy, having
passed close to a dozen pieces of bipar-
tisan legislation to strengthen America’s
global development investments around
the world – from food security to en-
ergy to development finance to women
and girls. This could be a bright spot to
watch.
BUDGET DEAL? Another area
where policymakers could look to find
the art of the deal is the ticking clock
on next year’s spending levels. In the
last Congress, Democrats and Republi-
cans worked together to pass a two-year
budget deal that lifted the 2011 spend-
ing caps, which will expire at the end of
Fiscal Year 2019. Without a new deal to
replace it, defense and non-defense pro-
grams will see deep cuts from sequestra-
tion.
7. Long-Term Impact of Nation-
alism Debate in Closing Days:
Unclear
RHETORICAL WINDS. Themes
from the “America First” 2016 campaign
trail returned in the final weeks of the
midterm, with the president focusing his
closing arguments on nationalism, citing
fears of the caravan and immigration is-
sues. Pundits are still sorting through the
data to decipher the impact of how these
themes motivated voters in deep red
states while turning off voters in swing
suburban districts.
The fresh campaign rhetoric will con-
tinue to generate debate and impact our
fabric as a nation – but how much this
division will ultimately translate into
policy or legislation remains to be seen.
8. Countdown to 2020
WHEELS UP. Campaign 2020 began
in earnest as President Trump prepares
to head overseas to mark the centennial
anniversary of the end of World War I –
followed by the G20 at the end of the
month. This pace of international travel
and continued engagements with lead-
ers from Russia and North Korea, means
foreign policy and national security will
be thrust into the spotlight. As Demo-
crats prepare their legislative agenda for
the next Congress, nearly two dozen
Democratic candidates are already test-
ing the waters for their party’s presiden-
tial nomination.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. Inevi-
tably, no presidential election can avoid
a robust discussion of national security.
While the diplomacy and development
agenda in Congress has remained fiercely
bipartisan, the highly polarized nature of
current political environment will put
that tradition to the test. Against the
backdrop of immense challenges and op-
portunities on the global stage, the 2020
campaign will showcase how it is more
important than ever for America’s inter-
ests and values that we remain actively
engaged and a leader in the world.