Background on the candidate’s statements, positions, and record on diplomacy, global development, and U.S. international affairs programs.

A public school teacher, Army National Guard veteran, six-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and current Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz has long been a strong supporter of U.S. leadership on the world stage, stating that “as our nation faces complex problems around the globe… Now more than ever, it is critical that our nation not retreat from its position of global leadership.”

Before becoming the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress, Walz was a high-school teacher who also taught in China for a year as part of the first government-approved group of American teachers to work in China. As a member of Congress, Walz became a champion of the International Affairs Budget who worked to elevate development and diplomacy alongside defense, emphasizing that “our commitment here in Congress is to make sure the State Department, USAID, and the Foreign Service is fully funded.”

Congressman Walz, who was a member of the Agriculture, Armed Services, Veterans’ Affairs Committees, and Congressional-Executive Commission on China, voted for the Electrify Africa Act, the FY14 State Department Authorization, the 2012 Export-Import Bank Reauthorization, and consistently voted against amendments to cut food aid and foreign multilateral assistance. He travelled extensively during his time in Congress including to Afghanistan, China, Guam, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, the Philippines, Syria, Tibet, and Turkey.

In 2016, USGLC hosted then-Congressman Walz at the annual State Leaders Summit where he made the case to “bring these [global] issues back to where they impact locally… engaging in the rest of the world is about economic security [and] physical security.”

He continued his engagement with USGLC through his term as Governor, joining over 35 mayors and governors in 11 states across the Heartland in 2022, issuing a state proclamation marking August 30 as U.S. Heartland Global Leadership Day for Minnesota, and recognizing the value of U.S. development and diplomacy in the Heartland. The proclamation states, “United States leadership through investments in diplomacy and global development, is critical to protect the health, security, and economic interests of the people of Minnesota.”