The Diplomat
King Philip VI received yesterday in audience a group of congressmen from the United States of America who are in Madrid to participate in the Transatlantic Capital to Capital Exchange congress, an event that is held every two years in a different European capital right after the mid-term congressional elections.
The U.S. congressmen came to La Zarzuela Palace accompanied by the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Luis Manuel Cuesta Civis; the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Santiago Cabanas Ansorena; the U.S. Ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso; and the Secretary General of the Spain-U.S. Council Foundation, Fernando Prieto Ríos.
Madrid hosts from yesterday until November 14 the Transatlantic Capital to Capital Exchange, a biennial event organized by the Ripon Society and the Franklin Center for Global Policy, in one European capital at a time, immediately following Congressional elections. The goal of the TransAtlantic Capital to Capital Exchange is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas between U.S. policymakers and policy experts with their diplomatic allies. To this end, some thirty members of Congress from both parties hold thematic meetings with parliamentarians from the country of destination, in this case Spain. Also in attendance are diplomatic experts and representatives of major U.S. companies.
The mid-term (or “mid-term”) elections, held last Tuesday, have been less damaging for President Joe Biden than expected and have not confirmed the wide victory of the Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, (“the red tsunami”), as predicted by the press and the media. In any case, and in the absence of definitive results, everything points to the Democrats losing their majority in the House of Representatives, while the battle for the Senate remains very close. Following these results, Biden has hinted that he will run for re-election in 2024.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the House of Representatives and the Senate make up the U.S. Congress, the institution with the sole authority to enact laws and declare war, with the right to confirm or reject many presidential appointments, and with substantial investigatory powers.
