AWMA Members Receive Exclusive White House Briefing
Two top advisors to President George Bush spent nearly two hours Wednesday afternoon updating AWMA members on the war on terror and economic and domestic policy during a special briefing in the Old Executive Office Building (Old EOB), next door to the White House. The session kicked off the AWMA Day on the Hill program, which continues today with more than 50 appointments with Congressional legislators and key staff members, following a Capitol Hill Club breakfast with Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL).
Dr. Bill Luti, special assistant to the president for defense policy, outlined for AWMA members the background of America’s war on terror beginning with the tragic events of September 11, 2001. He said there have been no similar terrorist acts on U.S. soil since then because of America’s actions to combat terrorism, including deployment of U.S. forces to Iraq and Afghanistan, passage of the Patriot Act, creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and others.
"What we are trying to achieve is to defeat terrorism and protect our way of life as a free and open society," he said.
A presentation on economic issues by Jason Thomas, special assistant to the president for economic policy, focused on the Bush Administration’s efforts to reduce the cost of health insurance by changing tax law to provide a standard deduction, with a ceiling, for the cost of coverage and to make the cost of health care services more "transparent" to consumers.
Thomas also outlined the Administration’s efforts to reduce the nation’s dependency on foreign oil by requiring that 20 percent of fuel consumption in the U.S. over the next 10 years come from renewable fuels, such as ethanol.
A spirited discussion followed Thomas’ presentation, as several AWMA members questioned the effectiveness of using tax policy to try to curtail health care costs.
The briefing, in the historic Indian Treaty Room of the Old EOB, was organized by John Plaque, executive assistant in the office of public liaison. Plaque noted that other top White House staff representatives were busy on Capitol Hill working on immigration reform legislation, opposing union card check legislation, and supporting efforts to make permanent estate tax reductions.
After the briefing, AWMA hosted a reception and private dinner at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel for Day on the Hill attendees, where Chairman Jode Bunce, resplendent in his green Chairman’s jacket, expressed appreciation for members’ participation in the annual lobbying effort.
"There is absolutely no substitute for the one-on-one visit between a legislator and his or her constituent," Bunce said. "This kind of relationship building is essential to promoting our issues and concerns on the federal level. And it’s not just the legislators – their staff is critical too – and the time to build your relationship with these public officials is well before you need to call on them."
Bunce said by participating in the Day on the Hill program, distributors are "reminding our legislators in Congress of the value we bring to their district, to their states and to the overall vitality of this country. We’re talking to the folks that are responsible for making public policy that directly affects our business – if they recognize the value and contributions of our industry that’s going to translate into profitability for all of us."
Following dinner, Washington comedian David Lee Werner, who by day is a lobbyist and by night is a stand-up comic who rips his material from the political headlines, had the group holding their sides with cracks about virtually every politician on the planet. He even managed to work Low Ignition Propensity (LIPS) cigarettes into his routine.
"We are off to a great start," said AWMA President and CEO Scott Ramminger. "We have some tough issues to address, and we’re ready to let members of Congress know where we stand and where we need their help."
