NEWS WRAP

GOP ready to move past Capitol Riots

• House oust | Liz Cheney delivered a defiant speech to the US House of Representatives where she vowed to continue to refute former President Donald Trump’s election fraud claims. Her address comes after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy circulated a letter among his Republican colleagues warning them to “anticipate” a vote to oust Cheney from her position as the third most senior GOP member in the House on Thursday (AEDT). Cheney told the House that “those who refuse to accept the rulings of our courts are at war with the Constitution,” and that she wouldn’t participate in being silent and “ignoring the lie” which “emboldens the liar”. READ MORE HERE
   

• Teen vaccine | The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light for the first coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in children as young as 12. The expansion of recipient access to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine now includes teenagers age 12-15 in preparation for the next school year. The decision to approve the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents was approved after research showed it was safe and the response was even better among the 12-15-year-old age bracket than 18-25-year-olds. READ MORE HERE
   

• Temple mount tensions | The White House is calling for de-escalation of the conflict in Jerusalem and Gaza which erupted into violence last Friday at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. In a statement, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki expressed the Biden administration’s condemnation of Hamas rocket attacks, acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself, but also put pressure on Israel over the treatment of Palestinians, urging “co-existence.” Israeli officials issued a warning to the United States, warning the Biden administration to stay out of the Jerusalem crisis. READ MORE HERE
   

• Shots fired | A United States Coast Guard ship fired 30 warning shots at 13 Iranian fast boats which were speeding towards US navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The boats came within 150 yards of the US vessels in a move which the Pentagon has labelled “unsafe and unprofessional” manoeuvres by the Islamic Revolutionary Gard Corps (IRGCN) naval arm. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby described the actions of the Iranian vessels as significant, saying they were “acting very aggressively,” and only withdrew after the second round of warning shots. READ MORE HERE
   

• Blocked pipes | FBI officials have identified a gang of criminal hackers as responsible for the recent cyberattacks on the Colonial Pipeline. The pipeline, which delivers roughly 45 per cent of the fuel used by the East Coast, continues to experience major service disruptions following the ransomware attack. The incident has also highlighted the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector and critical industries which are mostly comprised of privately-owned infrastructure. President Biden responded to the attacks by doubling down on his push to invest in safeguarding America’s critical infrastructure. READ MORE HERE

ANALYSIS

Key players in the Biden administration

Victoria Cooper
Research Associate

After 100 days of the Biden administration, it is abundantly clear this administration represents a significant departure from the Trump, Obama and Bush presidencies. Resounding proof of this can be found in Biden’s appointments for top-level Cabinet positions and key advisory roles.

Diversity. Nearly 55 per cent of Biden’s Cabinet is non-white and 45 per cent is female. The nomination of the most diverse Cabinet in US history, a Cabinet that “looks like America”, is an especially celebrated distinguishing feature of Biden’s first 100 days. Indeed, of the 15 members in this compilation alone, seven represent the first minority to ever hold their position – from the first Black American to lead the Pentagon, to the first female Secretary of Treasury.

Experience. Reviewing Biden’s appointments closely, several more observations can be made. Biden’s Cabinet pieces together a ‘team of careerists’ – ambitious experts with stellar reputations for achievements at the top levels in academia, public service, law and the military. In fact, 14 of the 15 members covered here have previously served in a presidential administration, formerly occupying positions as advisors to the president and vice president, members of the National Economic Council and even secretary of state.

Several members also worked together to implement policy during the Obama years, including many who worked as advisors to Biden himself. This group is not only highly qualified, but well-known to each other and deeply trusted by President Biden. They are trusted to get the job done and to demonstrate commitment to the administration’s policy agenda.

A president’s Cabinet and senior staff filled with highly capable Ivy League alumni is far from unique. Most administrations have countless Ivy Leaguers in senior roles. Forty-one per cent of Biden’s staff carry an Ivy League degree (compared with 21 per cent for all Trump’s aides). Yet what is notable about each of Biden’s appointees is not so much their unique (or controversial) postures on policy, their outsized personalities, or their loyalty to a particular brand of Democratic politics, but rather their professional accomplishments and broad experience. However, in contrast to President Obama’s ‘team of rivals’, this cohort generally tow moderate and compatible politics and personalities and, upon appointment, were largely praised for their expertise, graciousness and ability to work across the political spectrum.

This is an excerpt from a research brief by Victoria Cooper released today by the United States Studies Centre. Click below to read the full publication.

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The latest from USSC experts

BY THE NUMBERS

Foreign aid spending in major decline

Sarah Hamilton
Research Associate for Data Insights

Despite the continued health and economic devastation our neighbours and the broader Indo-Pacific region is facing, foreign aid seemed to be overshadowed in last night’s Federal Budget announcement. While the 2021-22 budget includes a temporary $335 million support package to assist vaccine rollout and COVID-19 recovery in the Pacific and Southeast, the overall spending on foreign aid dropped from $4.5 billion in the 2020-21 budget to $4.3 billion, a 10.5 per cent decline.

Australia’s foreign aid budget has been on a negative trajectory since its peak in 1975 where 0.65 per cent of the country’s gross national income (GNI) was spent on foreign assistance. Last year less than 0.2 per cent of Australia’s GNI went to foreign aid.

While the United States provides the most foreign assistance in terms of dollar value, by percentage of GNI, the United States foreign aid budget is notoriously low. In 2020, just 0.16 per cent of the countries GNI was spent on foreign development. As Biden focuses on domestic economic and social recovery, foreign aid spending has not been a top priority for his new administration, however last month he proposed a $6.8 billion boost from last year’s spending on foreign aid, a 12 per cent increase.

VIDEO | SOTUS 2021

The Australia-US bilateral economic relationship in a global context

Were you unableto make it to our State of the United States Conference in Canberra? Together with the PerthUSAsia Centre, we hosted an in-person half-day event to mark the launch of our State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda joint report. One of the live discussions, The Australia-United States bilateral economic relationship in a global context, is now available for replay on our YouTube channel. The panel featured:

• Jonathan Coppel - Commissioner, Productivity Commission
• Dr Brett Williams - Principal, Williams Trade Law
• Dr Stephen Kirchner - Trade & Investment Program Director, United States Studies Centre

Watch the full event HERE.

Catch this and other recent webinars on the USSC YouTube channel!

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

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