It was great to see so many familiar faces and meet so many new people at the STI/SPFA Fall Meeting in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing updates about your businesses and look forward to continuing to be your eyes and ears in Washington, D.C.
If you joined us in Cleveland, you heard me share an update about the great success we have had as we have ramped up our STI/SPFA Government Relations program and as our relatively new Legislative Advocacy Committee takes on a much more active role. We have spent the past year branding STI/SPFA and your businesses with Congress and the Administration as integral to our nation’s economy and national security, endorsing and supporting legislation dealing with trade, workforce, and labor regulations, and showcasing that we are going to be active and eager participants in the legislative process, and we are ready to punch above our weight class.
I also provided an exciting update on our first ever Washington, D.C. “Fly-In” a couple of months ago and how important it is for you, the STI/SPFA members and partners, to raise your voice and join our efforts. As I constantly remind my clients, we are only as strong as our collective voice, and if we are not engaging to tell our story, someone else is telling it for us.
As you are well aware, we are a little over a month away from an election. We are currently represented by one of the smallest margin Congresses our country has ever seen with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives with a narrow 220 to 212 split (there are currently three vacant seats) and Democrats in control of the Senate with a just as narrow a split of 51 seats (this includes four Independents who caucus with the Democrats) to the 49 seats held by Republicans. With retirements, deaths, and Members deciding to seek election to other office we currently have 52 House Members who are not returning (12% of the House), 10 Senate Members not returning (10% of the Senate), and this does not include turnover should sitting Members lose the November election. With that all said we are looking at a minimum of a 10% turnover in Congress.
We are staring down one of the closest Presidential races in our country’s history if polling is to be believed, the very real likelihood that Republican will flip control of the Senate (albeit with a very slim majority), and a complete toss-up at this point with what party will be in control of the House come January. And now comes the call to action.
The Legislative Advocacy Committee and STI/SPFA leadership have been discussing the possibility of expanding our next Washington, D.C. “Fly-In” to include our broader membership and not just have our Legislative Advocacy Committee Members make the effort to share our story on Capitol Hill. This past fly-in we focused our efforts on leaders of the Congressional Steel Caucus, Committees that have jurisdiction over our major issues (workforce, trade, tax, etc.), and a select few members who we already had relationships with. With the amount of turnover we expect to see in the 119th Congress in January, and what we expect to be a closely divided House and Senate, we need to expand out our efforts and start building relationships with your local Members of Congress and those from your home states. We need you to join our cause and raise your voice to ultimately raise our industry.
I know this can be a daunting call to action as you have to take time away from your day-to-day job, but as someone who has sat on both sides of the table during these types of meetings, please know that the one or two days you take to join us in Washington, D.C. will pay off in spades over the long run. And so, please take the time to let us know if you are interested in joining us in 2025 as we “Hit the Hill” and tell our story!
If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to myself, Tim O’Toole with STI/SPFA, or Randy Moore who chairs our Legislative Advocacy Committee. We need your voice and would love to have you join us.