IDFA’s Political Action Committee (PAC) Steering Committee voted unanimously last week to change the PAC name to the International Dairy Foods Association Political Action Committee (IDFA PAC). IDFA proposed the new name after hearing from members of Congress and their staffs that it wasn’t clear that the Ice Cream, Milk & Cheese PAC was associated with IDFA.
“While we greatly respect the historical ties that the former name has, we also want to maximize our impact on Capitol Hill and around Washington,” said Colin Newman, IDFA manager of legislative affairs and political programs. “International Dairy Foods Association PAC will make it clear that our financial support of candidates comes directly from IDFA members.”
About IDFA PAC
IDFA PAC is the voluntary, nonpartisan political action committee of IDFA. Registered with the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC), the PAC allows member company employees to pool personal, voluntary financial contributions to support candidates seeking elective office at the federal level who support issues important to dairy businesses.
In 2017, the PAC supported more than 40 federal candidates and committees. In 2018, IDFA is looking to expand its political profile, as the association works to advance its farm bill priorities, the natural cheese legislation and other policies that would directly benefit IDFA’s member companies.
The PAC falls under IDFA’s political advocacy program called Dairy Counts. The goal of Dairy Counts is to empower IDFA members by providing the tools they need to take an active role in determining the future of federal dairy policy.
In addition to the PAC, Dairy Counts includes the GrassRoots Action Network for Dairy (GRAND) and Get Out the Vote (GOTV).
IDFA is updating its Dairy Counts branding to both deliver a modern look and serve as the anchor for a cohesive theme across all of IDFA’s advocacy platforms.
IDFA invites members interested in learning more about the PAC or any of IDFA’s advocacy programs to contact Newman at cnewman@idfa.org or (202) 220-3518.