ATX in D.C. - Austin Chamber's Federal Advocacy Visit 2024
Washington, D.C.
June 11-13, 2024
Posted on 06/18/2024 by Shannon Contreras
Austin Chamber’s delegation of 65 members were in Washington D.C. from June 11-13 for our sold-out Federal Advocacy Visit. From the moment the group landed in D.C., they had a whirlwind slate of meetings, convenings, and events spanning across every facet of Federal Advocacy.
Day 1: Legislative Day
Breakfast Panel sponsored by Austin Community College
We started off our legislative day with a breakfast panel discussion from Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Thank you to Molly Beth Malcolm, Ed.D. and Austin Community College for hosting this important session.
Congressional Briefings - Sponsored by Ascension Seton
Our Federal Advocacy Visit Delegates had a packed day one in DC, starting with congressional briefings with our Central Texas Delegation sponsored by Ascension Seton featuring Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Rep. Chip Roy, Rep. Greg Casar, and Senator Ted Cruz.
Lunch Programming, Sponsored by Davis Kaufman PLLC
Senator John Cornyn was speaker for our lunch programming. He covered the legislative priorities for the Senate for the remainder of the session, focusing primarily on foreign affairs.
After lunch, our delegation went to The Hill, breaking into smaller groups for meetings with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's Staff, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Chip Roy, Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Pete Sessions, Rep. Michael Cloud, Rep. Sam Graves' Staff, Rep. Mark Veasey's Staff, Rep. Colin Allred's Staff, Senate Finance Committee Staff, House Education and Workforce Committee Staff, Senate Commerce Committee Staff, House Ways and Means Committee Staff, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Staff.
Day 2: Executive Office Visits
Morning Panel sponsored by McGuire Woods
We kicked of our morning with a panel featuring Congressman Marc Veasey and Congressman Collin Alred moderated by former Rep. G. K. Butterfield.
After the breakfast panel, our delegates separated into groups for executive branch and federal department visits including the Office of Public Engagement, Office of Infrastructure, Department of Transportation, Department of Education, and Department of Commerce. We closed out the trip with an AI-Focused Lunch Panel featuring Addie Cooke, AI Public Policy Lead at Google, Ayaz Minhas, Privacy Policy Manager at Meta, and Matt Rimkunas, Congressional Lead at OpenAI, sponsored by Texas State University.
It was an incredible trip full of great conversations, valuable connections, and lots of learning. Thanks to our flight sponsor Southwest for getting us there and back safely and on time!
Quotes from our Delegates
“Hats off to the Chamber team! This my second D.C. trip, and I enjoyed both our large and small group meetings. It was a worthwhile experience, and I highly recommend attending in 2025.” -A.J. Bingham
"Congratulations on putting together a great event! I really enjoyed the trip and thought it was very valuable and productive. Thanks again for giving me the chance to be part of the delegation. Looking forward to collaborate on future chamber events." - Gustavo de la Pena
"I was able to join with business and community leaders for the federal advocacy trip in DC. It was a great opportunity to hear from our federal delegation and advocate for the issues that are critical to Central Texas. Our policy agenda includes workforce, education, healthcare, housing, and supporting investment in infrastructure projects like I-35 Capitol Express, the Austin airport expansion program, and Project Connect light rail. Thanks to the Chamber staff for another great trip." - Scott Haywood
Thank you to our sponsors
Flight Sponsor
Breakfast Sponsor
Congressional Briefings Sponsor
Lunch Sponsors
Orientation and App Sponsor
Luggage Tag Sponsor
Related Categories: Public Policy