SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce along with thousands of members of the business community are headed to Washington D.C. on Sunday.
The delegates are meeting with lawmakers and other government organizations to advocate for the city in hopes of securing federal dollars.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg will be joining the delegation and said the purpose of sending such a large group is for the lawmakers to see the “force of San Antonio with a united voice.”
“The importance of making our presence felt and for them to hear our story on a pretty consistent basis is very clear because it does result in real dollars in return on investment for our local communities,” said Nirenberg.
Planned meetings include face to face time with The National Security Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Transportation.
For over 40 years, The San Antonio Chamber along with partners including the North San Antonio Chamber, the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber, the San Antonio Mobility Coalition, and the South Texas Business Partnership have made the trip.
“We need to tell the story repeatedly in D.C. about the needs that we have because any major activity, capital improvements, et cetera, are done in collaboration with other government levels, state and federal,” said Nirenberg. “This is where it begins in terms of a lot of the funding that comes down through the state and into local communities.”
Part of the funding up for grabs is from President Biden’s Infrastructure Law, and federal help for pandemic recovery.
Nirenberg said even though the city doesn’t shell out the big bucks for frequent trips to D.C. like bigger cities with larger pocketbooks, they’re all still competing for the same funding.
“These decisions are made ultimately by appointees of the administrations, and they need to hear from the local communities that are applying for these funds. There are cities across the country that are vying for limited parts of resources from the federal government,” said Nirenberg. “We want to make sure that they're hearing San Antonio story loud and clear.”
The delegation arrives in D.C. Sunday afternoon and returns on Wednesday.