On June 16, AmCham hosted a Congressional Delegation Luncheon in partnership with Center Forward, held at the Intercontinental Amstel Hotel. We were delighted to welcome a bipartisan delegation of United States Congress Members, business representatives, and Center Forward leadership to discuss how the economic partnership between the U.S. and the Netherlands continues to create jobs, drive innovation, and strengthen economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
AmCham President and Country Manager at Mastercard, Jan-Willem van der Schoot, began the luncheon with opening remarks. To follow, Cori Kramer, CEO at Center Forward, and Marcus Micheli, Chargé d' Affairs a.i. / Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy The Hague, reflected on the historic relationship of the Netherlands and the U.S., and how those ties will take us into the future. Strong partnerships are intentionally built through dialogue, trust, investment, and shared commitment, and remain important as we move through the next 250 years of the United States.
The afternoon featured a fireside chat from Congressman David Joyce (R-OH), Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA), and Jesse Martens, Head of Global Public Affairs at AkzoNobel. They discussed the opportunities and challenges shaping the next decades of transatlantic cooperation, from advanced manufacturing and workforce readiness to innovation and supply chain resilience. The discussion underscored that competitiveness is no longer just about attracting investment; it is about creating the right conditions for businesses and people to thrive.
In addition to the panelists, we were honored to have representatives Nikki Budzinki (D-IL), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Troý A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA), Vince Fong (R-CA), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Susie Lee (D-NV), Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D-TX), and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX).
