Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) will spend a trip to Washington, D.C., this week competing with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) for the support of the nation’s top CEOs.
On Thursday morning, he will address the Business Roundtable in dueling appearances with Walz, who also accepted an invitation to speak on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Roundtable members include the major titans of Big Tech that Vance has previously criticized.
“Continuing our mission of engaging with policymakers on a bipartisan basis, we invited both Sen. Vance and Governor Walz to speak with CEOs at our September meeting, and we are pleased that both accepted,” spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement.
Vance, like other lawmakers running for higher office, has been absent from Capitol Hill since former President Donald Trump tapped him as his running mate in July. This week alone, his itinerary includes stops in Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
His speech before the Roundtable follows remarks Trump delivered in June in which he promised to lower corporate tax rates and cut regulations.
The campaign swing doubles as a chance for Vance to reconnect with his colleagues. On Wednesday, he will join Republicans for a fundraising dinner, according to a source familiar with his plans. The invitation, reported by Punchbowl News, lists all members of Senate GOP leadership, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), as special guests.
McConnell has previously butted heads with Vance, a skeptic of foreign aid, over further funding for Ukraine.
Vance’s visit to Washington comes as Congress debates a short-term extension in government funding. Trump has urged Republicans to shut the government down if Democrats won’t pass a proof-of-citizenship voting bill, comments that Vance echoed last week.
“Why shouldn’t we be trying to force this government shutdown fight to get something out of it that’s good for the American people?” he said on a conservative podcast. “Like, why have a government if it’s not a functioning government?”
Congress has few other deadlines before the end of the year and will break for the month of October to allow incumbents to return to their home states to campaign.
However, one priority that has languished is a rail safety bill Vance crafted with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) following the East Palestine train derailment last year.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) doubted the legislation will get a vote before the election, though Vance has previously said it has the Republican support to pass.
“I think it’s going to be hard to do before the election,” Durbin told the Washington Examiner on Monday. “I encourage taking it up, but I think it’s going to be difficult.”
In the meantime, Senate Democrats, who narrowly control the chamber, have focused on messaging bills, including a Tuesday vote on in vitro fertilization.
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Confirming judges has occupied the remaining time the Senate has been in session. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is attempting to beat the record 234 judges Republicans confirmed under Trump.
The absence of Vance and three other Republicans helped Schumer confirm a circuit court nominee on Tuesday.
