When a group of nearly 200 local leaders travel together to advocate for the same causes, it makes a difference.

That’s the power behind the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s annual 2025 DMDC trip, happening next week May 7-9, where more than 160 business and community leaders will travel to Washington, D.C., to lobby from the same playbook, said Ryan Moon, director of government relations and public policy at the Partnership.

“This trip has really been defined around getting everyone together with one voice, one mission, one united region to bring out those folks at the same time to really highlight [the Partnership’s] federal policy agenda, our future priorities, just overall regional projects and other priorities that a lot of our other folks have,” Moon said.

This will be the 46th annual policy advocacy trip, which brings together attendees with elected officials, staffers and other federal officials to advocate for local and regional business priorities and economic projects. The trip also includes programs designed to inform attendees on regional, national and industry issues.

Lori Chesser, president of Dentons Davis Brown, has attended the DMDC trip several times and said it’s important for two reasons.

“It brings business leaders together in a new context and it provides an opportunity for interaction between us and those working for us in D.C.,” Chesser said in an email. “I have met people I would be unlikely to run across in Des Moines and had the space for a good conversation. Seeing people in several settings, from formal to casual, is a rare opportunity, as well.”

DMDC creates a rare opportunity for Central Iowa business leaders to speak informally with political leaders, she said.

“We can see each other as people, not position-holders, which helps develop better policy in the long run,” she said. “Even having the chance to experience the grand places in our nation’s capital provides perspective and communicates the history and gravity of the democratic project in which we are engaged.”

The trip has helped move policy throughout the years, Moon said. The Highway 65/Highway 5 Southeast Connector project started with a conversation on the DMDC trip, and now it’s receiving funding. The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2024, which directs grant funding toward the prevention of stillbirth, was signed into law last year. Some of the conversations and advocacy for that law began on DMDC trips, Moon said.

2025 priorities
Some of the issues on the Partnership’s federal agenda have been in the works for years. This year, a top priority is the renewal of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is set to expire at the end of 2025.

“[What’s important is] when we think about our economy here in Iowa and our businesses here, to ensure that provisions are expanded to ensure that we’re continuing our pro-growth and competitiveness in our region and our state,” Moon said. “Having those expire would increase taxes on our businesses here.”

Another priority is designating Highway 65 as an interstate. On the state level, project planners are working to remove the minimum speed requirement so animal husbandry equipment can continue to use the road once it’s an interstate. They’re also working to fund an analysis of potential alternative routes for farm equipment. On the federal side, they will work on changing weight restrictions to make the project possible.

Immigrant labor is important to many industries in Iowa, including agriculture and meatpacking. Businesses rely on visas to attract, recruit and retain highly skilled workers in engineering and similar fields. On the DMDC trip, leaders will advocate for modernized immigration policies and expanding the H-1B and H-2B visa and Conrad 30 Waiver programs. These programs allow foreign workers to enter the United States for specialized jobs.

“We understand that we have to have a secure border, of course, but we also understand the importance of having talent coming into our state,” Moon said. “If you look at our numbers, we need more talent coming to Iowa. Our businesses are growing, and we need that workforce to match that.”

The Conrad 30 Waiver Program allows foreign-born doctors who completed their medical residency in the United States to stay and work in underserved areas instead of returning to their home country. Each state receives an allotment of 30 visas. Some states don’t use all their visas, others need more.

“There are only 30 visas available to each state, and many times, Iowa utilizes all of their 30, whereas some states don’t, or may not use them at all,” he said.

The Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act would reauthorize and gradually increase the number of visas granted if certain thresholds are met.

“We’re not going to solve immigration with one trip, we understand that, so what are some of those little wins we can make along the way that have a massive impact in the future? And Conrad 30 is something that I know we’ve been working on for many years and will continuously be pushing and beating that drum,” Moon said.

The Iowa group beats a loud drum, as the Partnership’s 12-county region touches each of the state’s Congressional districts.

“So we’re able to have a great relationship with each of our delegation and their staff,” Moon said.

When DMDC attendees arrive in Washington D.C., they are greeted at a welcome reception that is well-attended by Congressional staff and officials, Moon said.

“They understand the importance of when 200 constituents come out to D.C.,” he said. “Having that quantity of people really stands out. We are one of the largest chamber of commerce clients in the country, and a lot of times we are looked to from other chambers of commerce on the work that we do with our large delegation.”

DMDC is a three-day trip, but Moon said that the Partnership works on its federal policy agenda year round.