The Austin Chamber of Commerce will convene more than 50 community leaders from Austin for a trip to Washington D.C. this week to meet with elected officials and agency leaders about issues impacting the region.

The annual trip takes leaders from local government, the business community, the education sector, healthcare, and non-profit organizations to the nation’s capital for three days of meetings and speakers.

“We are very excited about the great group of people we have representing Austin going to Washington D.C.,” said Kerry Hall, Interim President and CEO of the Austin Chamber of Commerce. “We have representatives from every corner of our Central Texas economy joining us this year. It is essential that our local leaders meet with our federal leadership to strengthen those bonds so we can all work together on improving our communities.”

The group will be meeting with elected officials who represent Central Texas, including:

Senator John Cornyn and Senator Ted Cruz along with Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Congressman Michael McCaul, Congressman Greg Casar, Congressman Colin Allred, Congressman Joaquin Castro, and Congressman Chip Roy. The group will also be hearing from Capitol Hill journalists, Karen Tumulty, and Mark Murray. There will also be small group meetings with leaders from federal agencies.

“This is one of the most important things the Austin Chamber does every year,” said Ali Khataw, Chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. “It's an opportunity for community leaders to interact directly with members of Congress and travel to Washington, DC to support policies that will help our region prosper.”

The overall goal for all these meetings is to advocate on Austin’s behalf and discuss the priorities that will help our region. This includes transportation and infrastructure funding, education funding, workforce and talent development, and funding for advanced manufacturing and semiconductor manufacturing from the CHIPS and Science Act.