Advocacy at the federal level is an ongoing activity. The region's agenda is put together with community and North Idaho partners in November and released in February. Eastern Washington and North Idaho business, community and academic leaders travel to Washington D.C. in April for meetings with elected officials, agency heads and key congressional staff. Throughout the year our federal lobbyist, organizational leaders and staff work federal level issues and organizational priorities to ensure the economic vitality of our region is preserved.

The following issues are always part of the agenda:

• Transportation - Our region recognizes the importance of a sustainable, safe and efficient multi-modial transportation system. Developing, improving and sustaining our region's transportation infrastructure is the core of supporting a competitive economy for the Inland Northwest.
• Military Structure - Fairchild Air Force Base, the largest single employer in the Inland Northwest, is a moder, joint service, multi-mission base supporting air refueling and global mobility, suvival training and munitions storage. With its current multi-mission structure, Fairchild has both the capacity and infrastructure capabilities to support current and new missions as they relate to joint services, transportation, national security and surge capacity.
• Higher Education - The Inland Northwest treasures its fine higher education system. These institutions train our skilled workforce and educate our citizenry, contributing immeasurably to the economic vitality of our great region. Our community greatly benefits from investments in higher education and supports funding of these important projects.
• Healthcare - The Spokane region is well known as a leader in healthcare throughout the Inland Northwest. Because healthcare is the largest industry in our area, our region's economy is driven largely by the strength of this important sector.
• Workforce and  Economic Development - If the Inland Northwest is to retain and attract quality job-creating businesses in a fiercely competitive environment, we must ensure that a vibrant, well-educated and adaptable workforce is available. In addition, we must identify and obtain funding to execute community projects that will allow us to compete against the many other communities attempting to attract businesses and talent to their regions.