Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our spring member drive has ended, but it's not too late to give. You have the power to help fund the essential journalism that keeps us all informed. Help us close the gap on our spring fundraising goal! GIVE NOW

Matheson To Lead Diplomacy Committee

broadband.utah.gov

  Former Utah Democratic Congressman Jim Matheson joins former Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr., on the Utah Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He said that the group’s aims of fostering diplomacy and encouraging economic cooperation helped convince him to sign on.

“When they came to me and talked to me about what the ideas behind the organization of promoting strategic investment in diplomacy and development around the world and the benefits of that to our state and our country it seemed like something that I really supported and believed in,” Matheson said. “It was kind of an easy decision. Then, they mentioned all the folks that they had attracted to be on the Utah Advisory Committee. It’s just such a great cross-section of the Utah community that it really validated what a strong interest we have here in our state to pursue this type of effort.”

The committee will work to convince the state’s congressional delegation of the importance of international investment. Matheson said that Utah already demonstrates the value of global involvement.

“Utah, possibly more than any other state, is such a great poster child of the value and the importance of investment in international development on many levels,” he said. “It’s estimated that roughly one in five jobs in Utah is associated with businesses that have an export capacity in their business. Many Utahns personally have experiences having been overseas. There’s a global perspective in Utah that is pretty remarkable when you think about it.”

Although only a fraction of the federal budget, Matheson said that it is important to focus on what foreign aid has accomplished, especially in the areas of poverty and infant mortality levels. He said that foreign investment is a necessary part of diplomacy in today’s world.

“Our international affairs budget has really been squeezed when you look at everything from embassy security to certain disease relief programs and what not,” he said. “That is a concern, that we’ve been squeezing this part of the budget where other parts of the budget continue to grow. In a complicated world, if we can do things to create better growth and opportunity across world, I think in many ways it’s the right thing to do and also I think it’s economically the more positive thing to do.”

More information on the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition can be found here.