Regional Leaders Visit Washington D.C. on Annual Commerce Lexington Fly-in presented by Columbia Gas

The D.C. Fly-In is organized by Commerce Lexington with assistance from the Greater LEX Regional Policy Group in formulating the federal policy agenda and has been a signature event since 2008. The Greater LEX Regional Policy Group initiated this trip to foster collaborative advocacy among regional chambers, business leaders, and elected officials, promoting unified efforts for regional growth and development.

Since its inception, the Greater LEX Regional Policy Group's trip has evolved into a cornerstone event for the chamber, uniting regional business and community leaders with Kentucky’s federal delegation and administration officials in Washington, D.C. This annual gathering champions critical policy priorities, including infrastructure, tax policy, economic development, housing, and energy. Each year, the event expands, with over 50 business leaders and officials participating this year to engage with Kentucky’s key federal policymakers and foster valuable networking opportunities.

For the two-day event, Commerce Lexington’s Fly-In group heard from Members of Kentucky’s federal delegation including U.S. House Representative James Comer, who also serves as Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Congressman Comer provided an update on the Committee’s work providing oversight of the Executive with a deposition during our trip and a review of the reconciliation package passed the prior week, H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Due to H.R. 1’s passage, the U.S. House took an unexpected recess the week of Commerce Lexington’s Fly-In, and all other Members left the Capitol to continue their work in Kentucky. Every other Member’s Chief of Staff and/or Legislative Director provided updates from each office regarding their perspective on H.R. 1. Other issues discussed included fiscal responsibility, deficit spending, immigration reform, tariff policies, and specific business tax extenders included in H.R. 1.

​To provide an outlook from U.S. House Majority Leadership, Representative and Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain’s (Michigan) Chief of Staff noted next steps for Republican Members including additional legislative packages this year and promoting H.R. 1 in Congressional Districts across the country. Congress will be working diligently to pass all twelve appropriations packages prior to the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30. If they can make this deadline, Speaker Johnson has mentioned the possibility for an additional reconciliation package by the end of 2025 with additional tax and budgetary reforms.

We also heard from Kentucky’s two U.S. Senators, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul. For the first time being out of Senate Republican Leadership in over 20 years, Senator McConnell participated in Committee on Appropriations mark up votes during our group’s visit. Although the Senator had limited availability to meet with our full group, he made sure to provide a brief update on his current work with appropriations, the Senate Majority’s role in shaping the federal courts, and concerns with tariff and spending policies. Senator Rand Paul voiced similar concerns when he spoke to the group including apprehensions with raising the debt ceiling by another $5 trillion in H.R. 1, executive power to set tariff policies without Congressional consent, and reforming the country’s current immigration laws.

Additional speakers included policy experts from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, NiSource Inc., and officials with the Trump Administration. Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy provided an overview of policy reforms in Washington from a national business perspective. In addition, Isabelle Isco, Executive Director, International Policy for the U.S. Chamber, focused on the negative impacts of tariff policies on trade, supply chains, and inflation. Kristi Jones, Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability with NiSource Inc., the parent company to Columbia Gas of Kentucky, discussed the importance of energy to the national economy and continued growth. With insight from the Trump Administration, Hunt VanderToll, Senior Advisor, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs spoke on maintain key relationships in Asian markets and continuing to foster those relationships in tandem with trade negotiations that impact Greater Lexington’s key sectors including manufacturing, bourbon, and commodities trade.
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Members of Commerce Lexington’s D.C. Fly-In group maximized their time in Washington by meeting with key policymakers in small, targeted groups. Greater Lexington’s key industries met with U.S. House Member staff, Senator McConnell, and the National Energy Dominance Council, an advisory body established within the Executive Office of the President and designed to advise the President on strategies to boost domestic energy production and reduce reliance on foreign energy sources. Low-cost energy is a key factor to affordable living and quality of life in Greater Lexington. In addition to energy, key industries elevated infrastructure funding, housing, trade policies, tax reform, regional economic development, local government and business collaboration, financial and banking sector issues, and modifications to Medicaid.