Chamber represents QC business community at Inaugural events

Ryan Sempf, Executive Director of Government Affairs for the Chamber, traveled to Washington D.C. as part of the events surrounding the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

During the visit, the Chamber represented the Quad Cities business community at the “Midwest is the Best” inaugural gala and attended several informal receptions on Capitol Hill leading up to the inaugural ceremonies.

Following the swearing-in, President Trump signed multiple executive orders. Notably, the executive orders related to tariffs merely instruct the government to study the potential impact of Trump's tariff ideas rather than implementing an across-the-board tariff on countries like China, Mexico or Canada.

"As the Quad Cities Chamber looks to the coming year, our focus will remain on two top priorities: Passage of pro-growth tax policy that extends key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and the Jobs Act; and passage of funding for site-readiness, including full funding of the Critical Supply Chain Site Development Program (ONSHORE Act)," said Sempf. 

In addition, the Chamber will continue to advocate for workforce and talent priorities. This includes improvements to the legal immigration system to increase the availability of skilled labor to fill critical roles, and supporting funding and policy changes to improve accessibility to childcare and educational opportunities for families and workers. "The clock has also started ticking on retaining federal funding for passenger rail, which was extended for a year and a half (until July 2026)," added Sempf.

Last, Sempf said the Chamber expects trade to be a significant topic throughout the Trump presidency, particularly over the coming two years with the President’s United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal coming up for six-year review in July, 2026. "As a trade-heavy region, ranking 57^th in the nation in exports, we plan to be actively engaged in this discussion that has significant implications for the Quad Cities economy," he said.