CLAWS USA Newsletter | 01 – 15 July 2025

America Decoded (1–15 July 2025) provides a comprehensive overview of key political, economic, and strategic developments shaping the United States during the first half of July. The period was marked by President Trump’s legislative victory as the Senate passed and he signed the sweeping “big, beautiful” tax-and-spending bill, despite concerns over its $3.3 trillion impact on the national deficit. Domestically, Elon Musk launched the “America Party” in direct opposition to Trump’s policies, while catastrophic floods in Texas claimed over 120 lives, highlighting infrastructure and disaster management challenges. On the international front, the State Department began large-scale layoffs amid a broader diplomatic restructuring, while the U.S. reinforced its Indo-Pacific strategy during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Trump also intensified his global engagement—hosting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for discussions on Gaza, pledging additional military aid to Ukraine, restoring funding for Tibetan communities, and escalating tariffs on 14 nations including the EU and Mexico. Meanwhile, the Pentagon pressed Japan and Australia to clarify their roles in a Taiwan conflict scenario, and Trump repeatedly boasted of mediating an India-Pakistan truce through trade leverage, underscoring his transactional approach to diplomacy.