WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce’s D.C. Fly-In group spent the day Thursday crisscrossing the nation’s capital advocating for federal dollars and support for projects and policies in western Kentucky.
In its 21st year for the annual trip, the 70-member delegation consists of elected leaders, business owners, and others.
Congressional reception
Thursday evening a congressional reception was held for the delegation at the U.S. Capitol and hosted by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell address the crowd during a congressional reception. Paducah Chamber President Sandra Wilson and Paducah Chamber 2024 Board Chair Katie Englert, right, look on.
“I want to thank you all, because honestly this community has been so well organized. It is pretty hard to say no even if you wanted to,” McConnell said.
He said Paducah leadership has done well at being clear about what the community needed over the years.
“It’s so much easier when you’ve got a really well prepared community that comes in and knows exactly what they want, and fortunately I’ve been in a pretty good place to help,” McConnell said.
McConnell said over the past 10 years he’s delivered roughly $2 billion to the general western Kentucky area. That includes to the Department of Energy Paducah site and riverfront development.
With his 18-year record as a party leader in the Senate almost in the rearview mirror, he shared what he will focus on next.
“I’m going to focus the next couple of years on defense and foreign policy, just to make the observation that we’ve got serious adversaries. North Korea, Chinese, the Russians, the Iranians, the Iranian proxies, they’re all talking to each other, and they all hate us,” McConnell said.
He ended his brief address on a lighter note, and said he’s ready to keep working.
“I can walk and chew gum at the same time,” he said with a laugh.
Department of Energy
Earlier in the day, the group met with Candice Robertson of the Department of Energy to discuss the DOE Paducah site.
From left to right, Joel Bradburne, Jeff Avery, and Candice Robertson with the Department of Energy. The three discussed on going cleanup and other topics at the DOE Paducah Site.
“I love Paducah,” Robertson said at the outset.
The group discussed the ongoing cleanup efforts at the site as well as the reindustrialization plan, and returning property to Paducah and McCracken County.
“Now we are looking to support the community and shaping its vision for the future by cleaning up the legacy of the past and turning over the land to the community,” Robertson said.
She also said she was impressed by the support of people living in the greater Paducah area.
“That’s what’s really leading the future is that they’re so committed to the success of the community, they’re so invested in making sure what DOE does actually supports that and that helps us in our decision-making to make sure what we do is aligning with community priorities,” she said.
Rep. James Comer
Congressman James Comer didn’t waste any time as he praised the 70-member delegation when he addressed the crowd Thursday.
Rep. James Comer addresses the crowd.
“This is the most successful chamber in the state of Kentucky. Now, some of my colleagues in Lexington and Louisville won’t admit it, but they know it. They know that this fly-in has more people, more quantity, and more quality than any other chamber fly-in,” Comer said.
He also reiterated why building relationships over time is so important.
“These trips matter. It matters because it’s a success story in a tough environment in Washington where there’s so many needs. There’s one pie, and the slices of the pie are small. I really believe if you look at the federal appropriations process, Paducah gets more than its fair share per capita when you compare it to other towns this size, from a federal appropriations standpoint.”
Comer also weighed in on Tuesday’s debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Well, it wasn’t the best debate I’ve ever watched,” Comer said with a laugh.
“I grew up in FFA and 4H, so I’ve always been a debater, and there wasn’t a lot of substance in that debate, unfortunately. But I think the American people, especially in Kentucky 1, have pretty much made up their mind. And I encourage everyone to go vote, and hopefully we have good turnout. I plan to work with whoever becomes victorious in the presidential race, because we’ve got a lot of problems in America that need to be solved,” Comer said.
Additionally, Comer made a point that while he doesn’t have any direct influence at the federal level to build a veterinary school in western Kentucky, he will work harder to support the effort if Kentucky state lawmakers take up the issue in the next session. Murray State University has been working to get support to create a school of veterinary medicine. If Murray State’s proposal comes to fruition, it would be the first such school in Kentucky.
Other meetings
In addition, the delegation met with agencies including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and American Nuclear Society. Those meetings were closed to the media.
