San Antonio business leaders have returned home optimistic after a week-long lobbying trip to Washington.
Business leaders, along with officials from the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, target certain projects and issues every year as Congress starts looking at new legislation.
Greater San Antonio Chamber President Richard Perez said the delegation met with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who showed interest in helping San Antonio’s growth.
Perez said San Antonio will suffer unless Washington leaders figure out the sequestration problem.
"There is definitely going to be pain," he said. "Pain associated with what’s going on with the military -- in particular the civilian work force that’s going to get cut -- cuts to folks that receive services from the Housing Authority, from food programs like food stamps, like summer food programs for children once they’re out of school, maybe even school lunches."
Perez said the delegates pushed hard to get the San Antonio Missions included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, met with Health And Human Services directors about health care reform, talked about San Antonio with committees that oversee tourism, and talked up San Antonio as a solar energy leader in North America.
