I walked through a downpour to get to the Foggy Bottom GWU Metro station late one evening in D.C. The plan was to meet my husband and 10-year-old daughter joining me for a few days of leisure in the nation’s capital. From the bright station ticket area, I stared into a big black tunnel waiting for them to emerge at 10 o’clock. But they didn’t. Unable to connect to their cell phones, by 10:30 I was worried; and at 10:50 I was wondering who I should contact. Then, minutes before 11 p.m., they appeared out of the dark hole, smiling and holding hands. The memory of my relief and joy is still quite vivid. 

Strangely, there’s something about today’s political atmosphere that has reminded me of that night. 

Between 2008 and 2014, I traveled to Washington, D.C., every spring to cover an association Fly-In. Although the cherry blossoms were cheery and the austere places of history delighted me, those were dark, tunnel-like days for business owners. Some of the members of that association had reduced their workforces by half due to the Great Recession; at the same time, the administration and its various agencies did not exactly exude a business-friendly tone––some felt it was quite the opposite, as I recall. 

You know what happened next. A brief regulatory respite and some pro-business policy shifts beginning in 2016 disintegrated overnight in the spring of 2020, followed by another four years of challenge for companies large and small. 

Here’s my point: Today, it may be storming a bit, but I think something good may finally be coming out of the tunnel. 

It was a really hard sell during the recession to persuade business owners to leave their companies to spend two days in D.C. Yes, they would hear about issues that were affecting them and then sit around conference tables to educate their reps and senators about the business realities for employers. But it was hard to make a case for advocating in the capital when owners didn’t feel like it was going to make any difference.

Not so today! I believe we have a serious opportunity to influence our Members of Congress. You know what’s coming out of the tunnel? A locomotive with a pro-manufacturing engine. But it needs some navigation from the business community, including the senior management of every AFS Corporate Member. 

You can either let the train ride past, or you can get on right now and participate in the policy-shaping process that starts by hoofing the halls of Congress and sitting down with the lawmakers and staffs from states where you do business. 

Here’s a true statement: If you don’t show up and represent your business and industry to those representing you, someone else will. Lawmakers hear lots of voices–– shouldn’t yours be one of them? 

The AFS Government Affairs Fly-In is only about three weeks away––June 10-11––but so what? That’s enough time for you to get in on one of the most rewarding business events you’ll experience this year. 

Please save your spot at https://www.afsinc.org/conferences/2025-government-affairs-fly, and we look forward to seeing you there.