Washington Business Winter 2020 | Washington Business | Page 33

federal focus
bringing people together around a table from different avenues of life
and business is something that is certainly not foreign to me.”
The insight led him to conceive of the American Congressional
Exchange (ACE) program. Eventually, he found a home for the program
at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a prominent Washington, D.C.-based
think tank.
Think of ACE as a cultural exchange, matching two members of
Congress from different parties, cultures and regions, with each hosting
the other for a weekend or recess visit. Like foreign exchange programs,
the goal is to see past the differences to identify shared experiences.
It’s still new, but members of our state Congressional delegation have
been eager to participate. Three of the 21 trips
completed by the end of 2019 have been made
with Washington members of Congress: Reps.
Derek Kilmer, Cathy McMorris Rogers, and
Dan Newhouse.
In late 2018, Kilmer, a Democrat from
Washington’s 6th District, hosted Arkansas
Republican Steve Womack. Last October,
Womack reciprocated. Although the two share
some committee assignments, the exchange
provided a unique opportunity to deepen their
professional relationship. With Kilmer’s district
including the Port of Tacoma and Womack
representing a region that’s home to Walmart
headquarters and J.B. Hunt, one of the nation’s
largest transportation companies, the two share
trade and supply-chain concerns.
The goals go beyond finding shared
interests. The ACE website sets a higher
standard, establishing Congressional comity:
“Our Congress must operate with mutual
respect, decency, and civility – all of which
are foundational to forging collaborative
solutions.” Recognizing, again, “there is more
that we share as Americans than divides us.”
getting things done
Members of the Washington delegation agree.
“When I heard about these exchanges, I
was like, ‘We should do this,’” Kilmer told The
News Tribune. When the partisan divide is as
sharp as it is today, he says it’s a challenge to
find common ground. But finding that shared
space is important.
Public opinion supports the effort. A
Georgetown University survey last October
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