Today, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition released a new report underscoring the importance of the U.S. International Affairs budget to helping American businesses grow and create jobs here at home.

This new report, entitled “U.S. Global Leadership: A Strategic Investment in U.S. Jobs”, was crafted by the USGLC’s Economic Working Group, co-chaired by Caterpillar’s Bill Lane and me. Representatives of some of the top companies in the world, including Boeing, GE, Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble and many more were a part of the discussions. It shows how the United States must invest in diplomacy and development to open new markets to U.S. businesses and create jobs here at home.

The Coalition also released a great new video that sums up our message nicely.

As Bill and I write in the report’s cover letter, “With 95% of the world’s consumers living outside of the United States, it is increasingly clear America’s economic prosperity is linked to economic currents elsewhere in the world… American businesses need a wide array of available tools to succeed in these new environments, and the International Affairs Budget is one of the most cost-effective tools we have to help our economy grow.”

“The world is not standing still, and American businesses and workers run the risk of being left behind if the United States does not continue to play its traditional role in maintaining a level playing field and opening markets. The question is not whether the United States can afford to make this investment; it is how we could possibly afford not to.”