Advocating for the QC in D.C.
An intense week of floor debate and votes took place during the Quad Cities Chamber’s D.C. Fly-In. Business and community leaders from the Quad Cities descended into Washington D.C. to advocate for the QC region April 8-11.
“It’s an opportunity to be face-to-face with our legislators,” said Chamber Board Chair Ben Keith from MidAmerican Energy. “We've spoken with senators giving them some insight into what's important and what we're doing to help our community thrive and grow.” 
One of the major issues on our agenda made big strides while we were there: An extension to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was set to expire at the end of 2025. Congress voted to approve a budget resolution that enables the use of reconciliation to pass this extension. This lays the groundwork to avoid historic tax increases for QC small businesses.
We also met with our bi-state delegation to discuss tariffs, the Rock Island Arsenal, site readiness, passenger rail, infrastructure investments, workforce training and childcare. Read the full D.C. Fly-In advocacy agenda.
“It takes a community to help bring growth to the area, and when we bring a united front to D.C. and meet with our legislators, we've not only gained a lot of insight, but we bring our voice to the table and help drive progress forward,” said Chamber Vice Chair Molly Foley from IMEG.
It’s rare to get this much time, all in one visit, with four senators, representing two states and two parties. The group met with Senators Tammy Duckworth, Dick Durbin, Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, along with their staff, for 30-minute meetings each. We also talked with Representatives Eric Sorensen, Darin LaHood, Mary Miller and Marianette Miller-Meeks, as well as staff from Representative Ashley Hinson’s office.
In addition, the group met with the Small Business Administration, Department of Transportation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Tax Foundation – getting clarity on next steps to move our QC priorities forward.
“Connecting local leaders from the Quad Cities with national policymakers is how we make an impact.” said Ryan Sempf, Executive Director of Government Affairs for the Chamber. “It's really important for our national leaders to hear from people at the local level to make sure they understand what's going on across the country.”
Joining Quad Cities Chamber staff were:
- Mayor Bob Gallagher, City of Bettendorf
- Mayor Mike Matson, City of Davenport
- Ben Keith, Chamber Board Chair, MidAmerican Energy
- Molly Foley, Chamber Vice Chair, IMEG
- Lisa Brown, City of Bettendorf
- Marguerite Tomlin, Arconic
- John Byrnes, City of Bettendorf
- Tom Flaherty, City of Rock Island
- Scott Mullen, Vibrant Arena at The Mark
- Decker Ploehn, City of Bettendorf
- Jeff Reiter, City of Bettendorf
- Jason Schadt, City of Bettendorf
- Zack Sullivan, Geneseo Chamber of Commerce
- Scott VanDeWoestyne, City of Davenport
- Jenelle Wolber, REDEEM
Save the date for next year's Washington D.C. fly-in for April 14-16, 2026. Let us know if you want to join in our 2026 Capitol trips.