Leading lawmakers from Washington, D.C. are gathering in front of North Texas' top business leaders for a congressional forum.
It's a rare moment to bring together key decision makers into one room.
Four bi-partisan congressional delegates will come together Tuesday at noon for a panel discussion hosted by the Dallas Regional Chamber Rep. Colin Allred, Rep. Keith Self, Rep. Beth Van Duyne, and Rep. Marc Veasey.
“So when we bring together our key stakeholders, business leaders and our elected leaders in DC, it is really a fantastic discussion around what's impacting the, the business community today,” said Matt Garcia, Senior Vice President of Public Policy at the Dallas Regional Chamber.
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This won't be anything like the vitriol and debate sometimes seen in Washington but instead will be a space to discuss key issues and help hundreds of local business leaders that will be there – who are the members of the Dallas Regional Chamber – to make key business decisions that will affect North Texans and our economy.
"It's absolutely a healthy discussion. There's so many friendly faces that are in the audience for these congressional leaders. So it can really be a productive conversation that drives productive outcomes for Texas," said Garcia. "We see a lot of the politics play out. We have a very strong congressional delegation that represents us in Washington D.C. So the Dallas Regional Chamber hosting an event like this – this is a major convening of business leaders."
In a panel conversation, they will talk about top issues affecting the region including government funding, aviation policy, healthcare, border security and the future of artificial intelligence regulation and its impact on the workforce.
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Anything and everything is on the table but a big talking point will also be energy, just as ERCOT issues weather watches this week.
"We're, we're right here in the middle of August. It's very hot outside and we want to make sure that we're hearing from our congressional leaders on the stability of the energy industry,” said Garcia. “But also as more people are moving to Texas each day, that we have the resources that we need to sustain the growth here in Texas."
Some of the leading businesses that will be in attendance include reps from American Airlines, Amazon, AT&T, JP Morgan Chase and Lockheed Martin – many of which are headquartered right here in North Texas.
The event today is sold out but you are registered to attend it starts at 12 p.m. at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas.
The Dallas Regional Chamber is also hosting Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia and other top leaders at the State of Public Safety later this month.
