The Indiana Chamber of Commerce returned to Washington, D.C. last week for our annual D.C. Fly-In. This was the first time we were able hold the annual conference in person since 2019 and it was great to be back! We had an outstanding group of speakers from executive branch agencies, the U.S. Chamber and the Indiana Congressional delegation.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

Among the highlights was South Bend’s own U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who kicked off the second day as our breakfast speaker. Secretary Buttigieg talked about the recently enacted legislation that has pumped billions of dollars into the transportation sector and explained some of the opportunities that are available to Indiana, including grants for electric vehicles and money for traditional road building.

On a more somber note, Chamber President Kevin Brinegar asked our group to take a moment of silence to recognize the tragic passing of our longtime friend, Rep. Jackie Walorski (IN-2) and her two staff members, Zachery Potts and Emma Thomson, in early August. She was always responsive to the Chamber and will be missed.

We started the first day with Dr. Ali Nouri, the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs with the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Nouri talked about how energy is transitioning and the funding available to Indiana through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Next up was our friend Neil Bradley, executive vice president, chief policy officer and head of strategic advocacy with the U.S. Chamber. He talked about the upcoming election, today’s political landscape and how that’s impacting policy efforts for the business community, pending legislation, recently passed legislation and inflation. Rep. Victoria Spartz (IN-5) closed out our speakers with a discussion on health care and some of her experiences in Congress since arriving in Washington, D.C.  We wrapped up day one with a cocktail reception at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill where our members got a chance to mingle with Congressional staffers, members of our Congressional delegation and other attendees.

Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)

Next up was our panel on education and workforce, which included Amy Loyd, the assistant secretary of the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education from the U.S. Department of Education; C.J. Powell, the acting chief of staff, Office of Postsecondary Education from the U.S. Department of Education and of the U.S. Chamber. The panel discussed the current workforce shortage and what is needed in education going forward for America to keep pace with other countries and to continue to lead. We concluded the second day with all of the attendees going to the U.S. Senate offices to meet with Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN). The attendees then split up into smaller groups due to increased security and continuing COVID-19 restrictions to visit the U.S. House of Representatives offices. Attendees were also able to meet with Rep. Greg Pence (IN-6), Rep. Larry Bucshon (IN-8), Rep. Jim Baird (IN-4), Rep. Frank Mrvan (IN-1), Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (IN-9) and Rep. Jim Banks (IN-3).

We had an enjoyable event, and our members had the opportunity to discuss business concerns and pressing needs with both the Indiana members of Congress and key executive branch officials.

The event couldn’t have taken place without the generous support of the Fly-in sponsors. Platinum sponsors: CMS Corporation, Wabash Valley Power Association and Zimmer Biomet. Gold sponsors: Build Indiana Council and Duke Energy Indiana. Silver sponsors: The Kroger Co., Thompson Thrift and TruGreen.

We have the best members too! Hopefully, the office restrictions and security will be loosened up by our next visit.

Resource: Greg Ellis at (317) 264-6881 or email: gellis@indianachamber.com