{"id":2077348,"date":"2023-10-24T03:07:42","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T07:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-prepares-to-host-australian-state-visit-amid-congressional-dysfunction\/"},"modified":"2023-10-24T03:11:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T07:11:52","slug":"biden-prepares-to-host-australian-state-visit-amid-congressional-dysfunction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-prepares-to-host-australian-state-visit-amid-congressional-dysfunction\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden readies for Australian state visit amidst congressional dysfunction."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-prepares-to-host-australian-state-visit-amid-congressional-dysfunction%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2077348&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>President Joe Biden Welcomes Australian Prime Minister for State Visit<\/h2>\n<p>President Joe Biden is rolling out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/technology-to-be-focus-of-biden-modi-state-visit-as-both-leaders-face-challenges\/\" title=\"Biden-Modi state visit to prioritize technology amidst challenges.\">diplomatic red carpet<\/a> for Australia&#8217;s \u200bstate visit after unceremoniously scrapping plans to travel Down Under during last spring&#8217;s debt ceiling crisis.<\/p>\n<p>But congressional dysfunction is \u200donce again complicating the U.S.-Australia alliance as legislation supporting the relationship,\u2062 and Biden&#8217;s broader foreign\u2063 policy regarding China and the Indo-Pacific, becomes \u200bcaught in \u2064the quagmire of the House Republican speakership race.<\/p>\n<h3>A\u2063 Strong Alliance with a Focus\u2062 on Innovation and Prosperity<\/h3>\n<p>State\u200d visits are &#8220;a big deal&#8221; and &#8220;relatively \u2064rare,&#8221; according to Charles Edel,\u200b the Center for Strategic and International \u200cStudies&#8217;s Australia \u200dchairman, with Australia&#8217;s this week the\u200d fourth of Biden&#8217;s administration. But even \u2062though they are\u200c rare, this is Australia&#8217;s \u2063second in four years after former President\u200c Donald Trump hosted one in 2019, Edel said.<\/p>\n<p>Australian\u2062 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose\u200c liberal Labor Party\u200d is more closely aligned to Biden&#8217;s Democratic Party politics than conservative\u200d predecessor Scott Morrison&#8217;s Liberal\u200d and \u2064National Party coalition\u2064 government, has\u200b also added climate and clean energy as the U.S.-Australia alliance&#8217;s \u200d&#8221;third pillar,&#8221; alongside \u2063defense and economic cooperation, per Edel.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Which is all to say that between AUKUS, force-posture announcements, the expansion of Quad activities, and activity on clean energy, climate change and \u2063critical minerals, the alliance has really been turbocharged over the last several years,&#8221; the former adviser to \u200cex-Secretary of State\u2063 John Kerry and U.S.\u2062 Naval \u2063War College strategy and policy professor told reporters \u200cduring a briefing.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Biden deepening the United States&#8217;s alliances \u200bwith Japan, South Korea, and \u2063India, Bruce Jones, a Brookings Institution foreign policy senior fellow,\u200d described Australia as &#8220;emerging front and center&#8221; in American\u2063 strategic thinking and defense planning, particularly since &#8220;the central challenge&#8221; facing both countries \u200bis \u2064Chinese naval power.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Underneath that, there is\u2064 a meaningful difference between the American net assessment of China&#8217;s intentions and risks and the Australian one, \u200bso I think there will be some focus of attention in\u200b the leaders&#8217;s conversation to \u2064hammer that out,&#8221; \u200bthe former United Nations adviser said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;re going to be looking for a deliverable there. It&#8217;s just part of the texture of this &#8230; symbolism-heavy summit, beginning with the centrality of\u200d Asia.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Edel, Biden has managed to deal with immediate problems, such as \u2063Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine, Israel&#8217;s war against Hamas, and now a speakerless House, &#8220;while not losing sight of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/investigation-reveals-china-targeted-federal-reserve-as-economic-espionage\/\" title=\"Investigation Reveals China Targeted Federal Reserve as Economic Espionage\">long-term priority<\/a>&#8221; that is the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>Edel expected Biden and Albanese to underscore\u200c the U.S.-Australia alliance as\u200d being &#8220;based on innovation that\u2019s grounded\u200d in job creation and \u200dgeneration of mutual prosperity,&#8221; \u200cfrom clean energy to space and artificial intelligence, with less emphasis, &#8220;at least publicly,&#8221; on national security.<\/p>\n<h3>Challenges and Opportunities for the Alliance<\/h3>\n<p>Simultaneously, Australia, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance, has questions about AUKUS, its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-prepares-to-host-australian-state-visit-amid-congressional-dysfunction\/\" title=\"Biden readies for Australian state visit amidst congressional dysfunction.\">nuclear-powered submarine building \u2064accord<\/a> with the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and Congress&#8217;s delay considering related technology transfer legislation, a delay exacerbated by \u2063the lack of a speaker. The administration is additionally seeking answers from \u2063Australia, specifically, \u200cabout its Fleet Base\u2063 West and, more generally, concerning its \u2064military readiness as China adopts a more assertive posture in the South\u200c China Sea \u200dand before Biden and Albanese are speculated to meet separately\u200b with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For critical minerals and\u2063 on defense procurement, President Biden\u2063 said \u2063he would ask \u200cCongress to include Australia as a domestic supplier so that Australian companies can receive funding under the Inflation Reduction Act,&#8221; Edel,\u2064 of CSIS, added. \u200d&#8221;And, finally, on Taiwan, the U.S. and Australia\u200c are aligned in a general sense,\u200b but there\u2019s a feeling \u200cin Washington that Australia\u2019s policy settings on\u200b Taiwan lag behind other American\u2063 allies in the\u200c region, and in Canberra, there \u200ccontinue to be questions over how much U.S. \u2062policy\u2062 on Taiwan has\u200b actually shifted and what \u2063this might mean.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But Brookings&#8217;s \u2063Jones agreed the &#8220;pain\u200c points&#8221; are not between the Biden administration and the Albanese government but with Congress, though he did\u2064 contend &#8220;concrete&#8221; progress can be made between the U.S. and\u200b Australia concerning Southeast \u200bAsia and the Pacific\u200d islands.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If we&#8217;re going to see movement on the \u2064technology transfer question, that requires congressional \u200baction,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The\u200d fact that this is happening when you don&#8217;t even have a House speaker is remarkable, to say the very least.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>A Busy Schedule for the President and Prime Minister<\/h3>\n<p>Biden will welcome Albanese to\u2063 the \u2062White House on Tuesday before his arrival ceremony Wednesday morning. The president and prime minister \u2063are then scheduled to sit down for a bilateral meeting while their partners, first lady Jill Biden\u200b and Jodie Haydon, tour the National Institutes of Health&#8217;s Clinical Center to promote the National Cancer Institute&#8217;s pediatric\u2063 cancer research. Joe Biden \u2062and Albanese will convene a joint press conference before attending a\u2062 state dinner\u2064 as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How is the\u2063 ongoing Republican speakership race in\u2064 the House of \u200dRepresentatives impacting the U.S.-Australia \u200balliance, and what concerns does it raise?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Enerally, \u2062its posture and strategy towards China, particularly\u2063 in light of recent tensions in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, \u2062the U.S.-Australia\u2062 alliance faces challenges due to \u2063the ongoing Republican speakership race in the House of Representatives. The delay in passing \u200blegislation supporting the alliance,\u2062 as well as Biden&#8217;s foreign policy regarding China and the Indo-Pacific, \u200bis a cause for concern. Congressional dysfunction can hamper the progress and\u200c effectiveness of the\u200d partnership, hindering the ability to address important issues and make meaningful advancements.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these challenges, the Biden administration and Prime Minister Albanese&#8217;s Labor Party share\u2062 common ground on various\u200b issues. Climate and clean \u2063energy have \u200bbeen added as the &#8220;third \u200dpillar&#8221; of the U.S.-Australia alliance, alongside defense and economic cooperation. \u2062This signifies a focus on innovation, job\u200b creation, and mutual prosperity. Both \u200bcountries have been working\u2064 towards the expansion of Quad activities, as well \u2062as cooperation\u2063 in the areas of\u2063 clean energy, climate change, and critical minerals. These efforts \u200chave resulted in a turbocharged alliance over the past few\u200c years.<\/p>\n<p>Australia&#8217;s strategic significance has become increasingly prominent in American strategic thinking and defense planning. The challenge posed \u2064by China&#8217;s naval power \u2062is a central\u200b concern for both countries.\u2063 While there may \u200dbe\u200b differences in the assessment of China&#8217;s \u2062intentions and\u2063 risks, the \u2062leaders are expected to\u2062 engage in discussions to address these divergences. This summit serves as \u2062an important opportunity to strengthen\u200c the partnership\u200b and align priorities\u200d in the \u2064Indo-Pacific region.<\/p>\n<p>President Biden&#8217;s leadership in \u200dmanaging \u2064immediate global issues, such as Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine and Israel&#8217;s conflict \u200dwith Hamas, while prioritizing \u2063long-term objectives in the Indo-Pacific demonstrates his commitment to the region. The U.S.-Australia alliance is based\u200d on\u200b innovation and job creation, with an emphasis on long-term \u2063mutual prosperity.\u2063 While national security is an important aspect of the partnership, the leaders\u200c are expected to showcase the alliance&#8217;s potential in various areas, including\u200c clean energy, \u200dspace, \u2062and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200cconclusion, the state visit of the Australian \u200cPrime\u2064 Minister to the United States is a \u200ctestament to \u200bthe deepening alliance between the two countries. However, the challenges\u2064 posed by congressional \u200cdysfunction and the delay in \u2063passing legislation can complicate the partnership. Despite these challenges, there are ample \u2062opportunities for the alliance to address critical issues in the Indo-Pacific and strengthen cooperation in areas such as innovation \u200dand prosperity. The leaders&#8217; discussions and engagement during \u200bthe visit will be crucial in setting\u2063 the agenda for the future of the \u200dU.S.-Australia alliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden is extending a warm welcome to Australia&#8217;s state visit, despite canceling his own trip due to the debt ceiling crisis. However, the U.S.-Australia alliance faces challenges due to congressional dysfunction. Legislation supporting the relationship and Biden&#8217;s foreign policy on China and the Indo-Pacific are now entangled in complications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2077349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2077348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2077348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2077348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2077348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2077349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2077348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2077348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2077348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}