Category: United States Government

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Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Marking Two Years Since the End of the Afghanistan War

Source: United States Department of Defense

As we mark two years since the conclusion of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, we salute the valor, patriotism, and selflessness of the American service members and civilians who fought and served there over the course of 20 years.
Throughout America’s longest war, our troops showed great courage and compassion. My thoughts today are with all of the brave Americans who answered the call to duty after al-Qaeda’s terrorists attacked America—including the Pentagon itself—on September 11, 2001. We bow our heads today in memory of the 2,461 U.S. service members who never made it home, including the 13 courageous troops taken from us in the attack at Abbey Gate in the final hours of the war. We also remember the hundreds of service members from allied and partner countries who lost their lives during this 20-year war. And we honor the more than 20,000 Americans who were injured waging war in Afghanistan, including many who still bear wounds that are not visible.
In the war’s final days, the United States, along with our allies and partners, safely evacuated more than 124,000 civilians from Afghanistan, in the midst of the pandemic and in the teeth of danger. In recognition of teams that operated and excelled under these difficult and dangerous conditions, I am proud to announce the approval of the Presidential Unit Citation for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command, and Joint Task Force 82 of the 82nd Airborne Division and its supporting units.
We remain deeply committed to supporting the Afghan allies who fought by our sides and to helping those who are now building new lives outside their troubled homeland. We will continue to push to help resettle our Afghan allies, and I am proud that we have welcomed more than 115,000 Afghans who stood by our side to the United States over the past two years.
Today, our hearts and our prayers are with the brave Americans who volunteered to keep our country safe, with the Gold Star families whose loved ones fell in Afghanistan, with the military families who endured so much over those two decades, and with the veterans who still carry the memories and the scars of war. The war in Afghanistan is over, but our gratitude to the Americans who fought it is unending. 

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Personal Income and Outlays, July 2023

Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis

Personal income increased $45.0 billion (0.2 percent at a monthly rate) in July. Disposable personal income (DPI)-personal income less personal current taxes-increased $7.3 billion (less than 0.1 percent). Personal outlays-the sum of personal consumption expenditures (PCE), personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments-increased $153.8 billion (0.8 percent) and consumer spending increased $144.6 billion (0.8 percent). Personal saving was $705.6 billion and the personal saving rate-personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income-was 3.5 percent in July.

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McCaul Leads Bipartisan Delegation to Europe

Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Media Contact 202-226-8467

Washington, D.C. – Starting today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul is leading a congressional delegation (CODEL) to meet with allies and partners in Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

The bipartisan delegation includes House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Subcommittee on Europe Chairman Rep. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-NJ), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Congressional Caucus on the Kingdom of the Netherlands Chairman Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), and Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA).

“As America’s adversaries grow increasingly emboldened, now is the time to bolster relationships with our friends like Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands,” said Chairman McCaul. “Vladimir Putin thought his full-scale of invasion of Ukraine would divide NATO, but instead the alliance has grown stronger and more united. I look forward to officially welcoming our newest NATO ally, Finland, and reaffirming the U.S. Congress’ full support for Sweden’s accession as soon as possible. Together, we can harness the transatlantic alliance to safeguard our shared interests and ensure unprovoked aggression does not go unanswered anywhere in the world.”

While in northern Europe, the CODEL will work to bolster ties with America’s strategic allies and discuss support for the NATO alliance, efforts to hold the Putin regime accountable for its war of aggression against Ukraine, and the imperative of confronting shared threats from the Chinese Communist Party. 

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U.S. gasoline prices are on the rise heading into Labor Day

Source: US Energy Information Administration

August 31, 2023

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Note: Weekly data reflect U.S. average regular gasoline retail price for all formulations. Real price is calculated using Consumer Price Index from BLS.

On the Monday before the Labor Day weekend, August 28, 2023, the retail price of regular gasoline averaged $3.81 per gallon (gal) across the United States. Over the past five weeks, oil production cuts by Saudi Arabia, low U.S. gasoline inventories, and announced refinery maintenance in the Northeast have increased the regular gasoline retail price by 6%, or 22 cents/gal.

According to our Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, after adjusting for inflation (real terms), retail gasoline prices going into this Labor Day weekend were 4%, or 14 cents/gal, lower than last year.

Recent production cuts by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ members are putting upward pressure on crude oil prices (the largest component of the gasoline price). Production cuts by OPEC+ members in April did not affect crude oil prices much because concerns about slowing economic growth drove expectations that crude oil demand would remain steady or decline. This time, successive rounds of cut announcements beginning in June and recent data showing improving economic conditions in the United States are raising the price of crude oil.

Ahead of this Labor Day, Hurricane Idalia is affecting U.S. Gulf Coast production and pipeline facilities. Hurricane-induced facility closures can have uncertain effects on the retail price of gasoline, and the scale of the impact relates to the duration and severity of the closures.

Limited gasoline supplies have also contributed to higher gasoline prices. Refinery outages caused by extreme weather and refinery maintenance originally scheduled for last year have kept U.S. gasoline inventories below the previous five-year average since March 2022. Most recently, we expect planned maintenance for Irving Oil’s refinery (320,000 barrels per day [b/d]) in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Monroe Energy’s refinery (185,000 b/d) in Trainer, Pennsylvania, which will run from mid-September to mid-November, to keep gasoline supplies limited, especially in the Northeast. The East Coast is the highest-consuming gasoline market in the United States, but it has relatively little refinery capacity.

U.S. gasoline prices vary regionally, reflecting local supply and demand conditions, different fuel specifications required by state laws, and taxes. Regional gasoline prices are usually the highest on the West Coast due to the region’s limited connections with other major refining centers (including the Gulf Coast), tight local supply and demand conditions, and requirements for gasoline specifications that make gasoline more costly to manufacture. West Coast prices as of August 28 were $4.88/gal, up 2%, or 10 cents/gal, from the same time last year. The Rocky Mountains region faces similar logistical constraints as the West Coast, although overall supply and demand in the region are both lower. Rocky Mountain gasoline retail prices averaged $3.98/gal, a 1%, or 4 cents/gal, decrease over 2022.

The Gulf Coast accounted for 54% of the country’s total refining capacity as of January 2023, and it produces more gasoline than it consumes. As a result, the price of gasoline on the Gulf Coast is often the lowest in the United States. On August 28, the average retail gasoline price for the Gulf Coast was $3.38/gal, up 1%, or 2 cents, from the same time last year.

On the East Coast, retail gasoline prices were $3.64/gal on August 28, down 1%, or 4 cents, compared with the same time last year. Midwest prices decreased 1%, or 4 cents, to $3.68/gal.

Principal contributor: Alex de Keyserling