CLAWS USA Newsletter | 01-15 October 2025

The CLAWS U.S. Newsletter (October 1–15, 2025) captures a period of heightened political and geopolitical flux in Washington. Domestically, the United States grappled with a prolonged government shutdown that led to the freezing of $26 billion in federal funds for Democratic-led states, layoffs of over 4,000 federal workers, and mounting partisan tensions even as the Senate passed a $925 billion bipartisan defense policy bill to sustain military readiness. Internationally, the Trump administration pursued aggressive security and foreign policy measures—declaring a “non-international armed conflict” with Caribbean drug cartels, cutting diplomatic ties with Venezuela, and deepening U.S. intelligence support for Ukraine’s strikes on Russian infrastructure. Simultaneously, the U.S. played a central role in brokering and enforcing the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, culminating in a major peace summit in Egypt and a large-scale hostage-prisoner exchange. Amid escalating tariff threats on China and shifting alliances in the Middle East, the newsletter highlights America’s assertive global posture and the domestic strains shaping its policy decisions.