Last week, your Chamber led a delegation of more than 150 business, elected and community leaders to Washington D.C. for the annual SA to DC trip. While in Washington, the group met with members of Congress and government officials about business, industry, military, education, and community development priorities in our region.
Over the last several years, San Antonio has drawn national attention for the exemplary way our business, community, and government leaders come together to advocate for our economic prosperity. And, following the COVID pandemic, this is more important than ever.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a strong, vibrant, invested, and active business community willing to take on key issues that make a difference for the San Antonio region,” said interim San Antonio Chamber President and CEO Dave Petersen. “Whether members are there advocating for our military, education and workforce development, infrastructure, or policies that allow businesses to flourish, our collective voice will be loud and will be heard.”
During the three-day trip, issue teams spent that afternoon on Capitol Hill meeting to advocate for important issues. During the morning sessions or evening receptions, attendees heard from Senator Ted Cruz and Congressmen Henry Cuellar, Tony Gonzales, Chip Roy, and Greg Casar and received briefings about the debt limit and economic outlook, cybersecurity, apprenticeships, the National Arboretum, VIA Advanced Rapid Transit, and the City of San Antonio Airport Terminal Plan and Airport Operations. On the last night of the trip, attendees were treated to a reception featuring remarks from the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and a dinner featuring a keynote address from Charlie Cook, Founder of the Cook Political Report and political analyst for National Journal and NBC News. Special thanks to FirstDay Foundation for sponsoring and organizing the reception and dinner.
SA to DC began in the late 1970s, when seven members of the Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee traveled to the Pentagon to offer our thanks and support for the various Department of Defense (DOD) missions located in San Antonio. This year, we have issue teams covering aerospace, cybersecurity, education/workforce development, energy, healthcare, military, small business, transportation, and water.
The Chamber would like to thank our partners: he San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the South Texas Business Partnership, and the San Antonio Mobility Coalition (SAMCO). We would also like to thank our sponsors FirstDay Foundation, the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute, the American Red Cross, PNC Bank, Port San Antonio, and CPS Energy for their generous support.