By Clay LePard
clepard@cbs4qc.com
$85 billion in automatic spending cuts go into effect on Friday, that is, if the feds can't come up with a deal. And that has local leaders and business owners worried.
They say the QC Chamber of Commerce's annual trip to Washington D.C. comes at a very convenient time. Altogether, 40 people are taking the trip including chamber members, mayors, other city leaders as well as local business owners.
They're leaving today and tomorrow to meet with lawmakers. And they say priority number one is pressuring Congress to get a deal done.
"The elephant in the room is sequestration," says Joe Slavens, President and CEO of Northwest Bank.
"This is unbelievable that we're going during this period of time," says Paul VanDuyne, President and CEO of KJWW Engineering.
"This is probably the first time we've been in the middle of a drama known as 'The Sequester' and that's probably our top priority," says Scott Vandewoestyne, QC Chamber.
That's because local leaders say the biggest hit, if those cuts do go into effect, would be to one of the areas largest employers, the Rock Island Arsenal.
"This isn't just a factory," Slavens adds. "This is a logistics hub and there's a lot of opportunity for high productivity at a low cost here at the Rock Island Arsenal."
"We have government contracts and we can see some government contracts cut very significantly," VanDuyne explains.
Scott Vandewoestyne from the QC Chamber says the area is tired of feeling uneasy and he plans to make that point to Congress.
"The one thing business wants here in the Quad Cities and across the country is certainty coming from congress," he says. "This is not creating certainty."
Those QC leaders and business owners will get back from their trip on Friday.
