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Quad City Chamber Heads To D.C.

Quad City Chamber of Commerce

Quad City Chamber of Commerce members are heading to Washington this week. On Wednesday, about 30 business owners, bankers, and public officials will travel to the capitol for their annual advocacy trip.

Henry Marquard is the Director of Government Affairs at the Chamber. He says the purpose of the three day trip is to make sure decision makers in Washington know what will help the Quad Cities. 

"We've heard budget proposals from the  administration that give us concern, eliminating parts of The Department of Commerce and small business, for example. But, it also includes proposals to increase defense spending, which could be good for The [Rock Island] Arsenal, depending on where that spending will come from." 

Marquard says organizers added an extra day to the schedule this year to allow chamber members more time to sight-see and network.

"It's allowing us to do a few more visits, to spend some more time with agencies and leaders there. We are certainly trying to capitalize on the President's interest in investing in infrastructure."

One of the meetings will be at the White House with the Special Assistant to the President for Infrastructure. 

Chamber members will leave the Quad Cities on Wednesday and return on Friday.

I am currently a senior at Augustana College, majoring in Multimedia Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in Creative Writing. I serve as the General Manager for WAUG.fm, Augustana's online student radio station and have worked as an intern and DJ at Studstill Media Group. I report on local news for WVIK and am honored and excited to be a part of the news team. I hope to pursue a career in radio broadcasting and an eventual master's degree in English or Communications.