The SA to DC trip began in the late 70s with members of the San Antonio Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee traveling to the Pentagon to offer our support for the various Department of Defense (DoD) missions located in our community. While the trip has expanded to include additional hosts and a dozen other key industries and issue topics, the focus on our military missions remains a key objective during the trip.
Participants are scheduled to hear from Jim Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, and General Larry O. Spencer, Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, in addition to other senior leaders during meetings at the Pentagon. San Antonio is home to several commands and missions that are integral to our national defense, and our delegation will take time in Washington to speak with senior DoD officials about what the new budget agreement means for defense spending, how current service reorganization will affect San Antonio, and what our community can do to continue supporting growth in areas such as military medical training and cybersecurity.
The San Antonio Chamber’s Board of Directors will review and approve the federal agenda on January 23. The key issues and priorities include:
- funding for the construction of a new federal courthouse in San Antonio;
- reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank that supports small and large businesses selling to foreign customers;
- support for the Secretary of the Interior’s nomination of the San Antonio Missions as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and
- support for comprehensive immigration reform.
In addition to the advocacy work accomplished during the trip, there may be no better way to get to know more than 100 of San Antonio’s top executives than during the annual 4-day fly-in to D.C. There is still limited space available; click here to learn more.
