Back in the Saddle: My Return to the Hill
Back in the Saddle: My Return to the Hill
by Amanda Kadilak
After a career break, I’m officially back in the saddle again – channeling a bit of Aerosmith energy as I reengage with legislative work on Capitol Hill. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of meetings, policy discussions, and renewed momentum for our industry’s priorities. Before Members return from recess and things heat up again, however, I wanted to use this month’s newsletter article as an opportunity to shed some light on who I am as a person, what I hope to achieve for our members, and how I plan to get there.
Building Relationships and Reconnecting
I hit the ground running by conducting several introductory meetings with key congressional offices and stakeholders. These included the offices of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-7), Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV-1), Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL-3), and staff from both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. I also had productive conversations with the American Farm Bureau, whose insights on our shared objectives continue to be invaluable, and I got to participate in several industry stakeholder groups’ update calls and briefings. These outreach efforts laid the groundwork for future collaboration and helped map out the road ahead.
Pictured is myself with Rep. Dina Titus’ Chief of Staff, who got his start as an intern in my office back in the day. We liked him so well that we hired him on after graduation! He has gone on to do some amazing things for himself in the intervening years, and I was so pleased to catch up with him. We may not have a lot of policy overlap with his office, as Rep. Titus is more focused on wild horse issues – but she does sit on the House Olympic and Paralympic Caucus, so I’m hopeful to spark her interest in supporting our initiative to better address the temporary international movement of equines in time for the 2028 games in Los Angeles (more on that, below).
Legislative Focus Areas
When faced with the depth and breadth of issues important to our members, it’s easy to feel as if I’ve been drinking from the firehose with no end in sight – especially because I’m very conscious of the legacy outgoing Government Affairs Liaison Brigid Shea is leaving behind, and President Julie Broadway is entrusting me to preserve! The relative calm of the August Congressional recess provided an opportunity, however, to take a breather and hone in on what I like to call the “known knowns” and the “known unknowns”.
What are the “known knowns”? I consider these to be things like the annual appropriations process – you know it’s coming, year after year, and while you may not be able to predict the end result – will we get a Continuing Resolution… an omnibus bill… or door # 3, a government shutdown? – you can reasonably navigate the process if you’re prepared with your “asks” by the time Appropriations subcommittees start their work in the early spring. Likewise, in agriculture policy we also have the multi-year authorizing legislation known as “the Farm Bill”. Traditionally considered every five years, although subject to extensions (we’re currently in one), the Farm Bill is the vehicle for programmatic and policy changes. While a number of funding-related provisions typically included in the Farm Bill were instead rolled into the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act”, there was enough that was left unaddressed that’s now led to talks of a “skinny” Farm Bill being introduced in October. Our recent Hill outreach efforts have already included talking points on what we want to see out of this legislation on behalf of our members.
As for the “known unknowns” – these are the things that some might consider “passion projects”. They’re the big lifts, the proposals that start out as internal working group discussions, and then turn into multi-year efforts that you pour your blood, sweat, and tears into seeing come to fruition. For the American Horse Council, I recently dove head-first into the issue of temporary international movement of high-health/high-performance equines. As an avowed Olympics nerd (who’s been known to tune into speedwalking if needs must), I can’t tell you how excited I am to work on an effort to align U.S. temporary import quarantine protocols with recognized international standards in time for the 2028 Los Angeles summer games!
I’m learning that workforce issues, and guest worker visa program reforms specifically, are another area of “known unknowns”. I don’t have to tell anyone reading this about the dire need for agricultural workers and farm hands – you’re living it! Members of Congress are well aware, too, despite years of no substantial progress being made. Year after year, both sides offer legislation, collect co-sponsors and buy-in from coalition groups, and yet the measures ultimately fail to make it through the process. In my opinion, the “unknown” part of the equation is – in this environment we’re currently living in, how do you separate the argument for non-immigratory guest worker visa reforms from the broader, highly-contentious immigration debate? We will continue to monitor any proposals as they’re introduced, and we have talking points ready to go that speak to the specific needs of the equine industry. We’re hoping to see some reforms included in the House Agriculture Committee’s skinny farm bill proposal, but our sources there aren’t even clear on what might be included as the Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over those issues.
Looking Ahead
In summary, my return to Capitol Hill has been marked by renewed energy, strategic relationship-building, and a deep commitment to advancing our members’ priorities. By focusing on both foundational legislative processes and ambitious long-term initiatives, I’m dedicated to ensuring our members’ voices are heard and their needs addressed in upcoming policy discussions. As we look ahead to the busy months to come, I’m excited to continue this work and drive meaningful progress for our stakeholders! Reach out any time you’d like to connect on legislative issues: akadilak@horsecouncil.org. I want to hear what matters to YOU!