Jim Benedict, AFS board member and owner of Benedict’s Market and Sarah Pettit, public affairs director at AFS, attended the National Grocer’s Association Fly-In recently. In addition to conference meetings held with the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Trade Commission, and former White House Secretary Kellyanne Conway, Jim and Sarah met with several offices on the Hill.
Meetings were held with the entire Wyoming delegation, Congresswoman Hageman, Senator Lummis, and Senator Barrasso, as well as the offices of Utah Senator Lee, Idaho Senator Crapo, Arizona Senator Gallego, and Nevada Senator Cortez-Masto.
Together, Jim and Sarah advocated for the enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act, requested that small businesses be helped by supporting the Credit Card Competition Act, and spoke about the challenges with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and potential impacts from federal SNAP cuts.
“It was a valuable opportunity to speak directly with lawmakers about the real challenges independent grocers are facing,” said Jim. “These conversations matter. If we don’t advocate for ourselves on issues like swipe fees, fair competition, and SNAP access, no one else will. I encourage other retailers to get involved and make their voices heard.”
If retailers are interested in participating in the 2026 NGA Fly-In taking place May 18th-20th 2026, where they can talk with their delegation about issues impacting their stores and independent retailers, please contact Sarah Pettit at Scpettit@afstores.com