I arrived in DC via the red-eye from San Francisco this morning, found my way to some food and caffeine, and was officially ready to meet the gang and get prepped to lobby.  We are staying at George Washington University at Thurston Hall, which happened to be Shawn’s (and my sister-in-law’s) freshman dorm.  Ah, memories…

After months of emails and conference calls, it is always a delight to finally put faces to names and voices.  Our conference coordinators, Amy and Kayla commandeered the “Piano Room” off the main lobby and set-up all our check-in, informal meet and greets, and of course, burritos.  I got nametagged, and then we headed over to Duques Hall for our evening of speakers and lobbying preparation.

Our featured speaker was retired Representative Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia.  He served seven terms in the House, retiring in 2008 to work in the private sector.  Congressman Davis was inspiring, funny, motivating, and very, very real.  He supports the Academy, the bill and the mission, and really understands the need for an institution like this.  He is especially concerned about the massive numbers in the federal workforce alone that will be retiring in the next 10 years, and sees the Academy as one way to attract and retain the best and brightest to public sector careers.

We could not agree more!

Great news!  We have just added TEN new co-sponsors to our bill in the House!  H.R. 2102 now has the co-sponsorship of the following ten Representatives:

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX)
Rep. Al Green (TX)
Rep. Howard Berman (CA)
Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA)
Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (Guam)
Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA)
Rep. Leonard Boswell (IA)
Rep. Mazie Hirono (HI)
Rep. Keith Ellison (MN)

Please join us in welcoming them and now take a moment to ring up your own Representative or Senator’s office and ask for their support as well.

In a move that left the political world reeling, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched parties, joining the Democrats after four decades as a Republican. Sen. Specter was the leading Republican co-sponsor of the Academy bill in last year’s Congress, so now we have to find a new Republican to become the co-lead of the bill, alongside Mark Udall of Colorado. Though the Academy bill has gotten more support from Democrats than Republicans in Congress, it is not a partisan idea. Our political lineage traces back to the “good government” movement of Republican Teddy Roosevelt, who recognized the need for a strong, effective government and smart, non-partisan people to run its agencies. Outside of Congress, the Academy has received strong support from conservatives such as Mike Huckabee and Sandra Day O’Connor, and we have won the respect and support of many military leaders, including three former Superintendents of West Point. We aim to build on that support to find Specter’s replacement in the GOP.