Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1519075
68 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2024 We want to be a source of information... You both are relatively new to the advocacy team, but hasn't IPC been involved in this effort for years? Cappetto: Yes, Chris Mitchell has been involved in this advocacy work for years. is work requires constant effort. I believe the average member of Congress is about six years younger than has traditionally been the case and has only been in office for two or three terms. is means that since 2010, there has been about a 70% turnover in Congress. Many people we were talking to only a few years ago aren't there anymore. is requires constant commu- nication. When I first got involved in politics and received cam- paign training, my first les- son was that if there was any chance something could happen at a political meet- ing—city council, water board, etc.—you had to be there. So, being physically pres- ent is a big piece of the job. You must be on the Hill, having face- to-face interactions. If you're not at the table, your interests are not represented. at is a baseline. In D.C., we are talking to Congress mem- bers, making sure they hear from us when they're developing ideas for hearings and cre- ating legislation, and we're talking to the exec- utive branch as they implement things like the CHIPS Act. We want to be a source of infor- mation for them as well, to help them make good decisions. at is starting to happen. For example, the CHIPS Act office reached out to IPC seeking input on how to implement the R&D section of the bill. When the advanced packaging program strategy was released in November, the only outside report they cited was our IPC advanced packaging report. It was exciting to see. That's tremendous. Congratulations to your team. Cappetto: e IPC advanced packaging report was primarily the work of Matt Kelly, IPC chief technology officer and vice president of technology solutions. It is a tremendous accomplishment resulting from the IPC's col- lective work in this area. Has the changing demographic in Congress affected how IPC and this messaging are being received? Cappetto: Generally, attitudes have changed over the last four or five years, especially since the pandemic. ere is a lot of geopolitical tension in multiple regions, as Kate mentioned, and people real- ize that things are not as sta- ble as they once thought. ere is a risk that if some- thing goes unpredictably wrong somewhere in the world, you could be caught up and unable to supply what is needed. Now, there is a heightened awareness of the risks associated with outsourcing your business completely. Kate, how does the general divisiveness and polarity in Washington impact the work you're trying to accomplish? Koger: Obviously, we are trying to get bills through Congress, and you need to work with both sides. Most bills we are interested in should be bipartisan. Unfortunately, that can be quite difficult, even if they agree in princi- ple. You must work hard to find policy ideas that appeal to policymakers on both sides of the aisle and have a realistic chance of support. e appetite for different policies is some- thing that can change with the political envi- ronment. at's the essence of representative government. At any given time, certain levers of government policy—taxes, grants, controls, requirements, bans—fall in or out of favor. It is not the case that simply "X is good for our economy" and we will all get behind American