IDFA decided earlier this year that scheduling a few smaller, strategically timed fly-ins to Washington, D.C., during the year rather than one annual fly-in would allow the association to more strategically deploy its greatest policy asset – dairy executives – on a series of issue-focused visits with high-level administration officials and key members of Congress. IDFA’s legislative team identified the right opportunity earlier this month, allowing a small group of dairy executives to attend targeted meetings with high-level members of the Trump Administration and Congressional leaders.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, a team of IDFA’s executive committee members, board officers and top PAC contributors joined staff members in meetings with the following people:
- Andrew Bremberg, assistant to the President and director of the Domestic Policy Council for President Trump;
- Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative who will oversee the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, as well as other bilateral trade agreements that would be a benefit to U.S. dairy companies;
- Eric Branstad, senior White House advisor who works at the Department of Commerce under Secretary Wilbur Ross.
- Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), speaker of the House of Representatives;
- Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry;
- Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry;
- Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture;
- Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), ranking member of the House Committee on Agriculture; and
- Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA), co-sponsor of the School Milk Nutrition Act.
Highlights from the visits are available here.
The IDFA group with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (center).
For more information, contact Dave Carlin, IDFA senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy, at dcarlin@idfa.org.