With PPAI’s Legislative Education and Action Day 2025 only a couple weeks away, participants are preparing to meet with members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill to discuss pending legislation and issues relevant to the promotional products industry.
- Making sure policymakers recognize the impact of the promo industry is perhaps the most important aim of the event.
One of the most prominent issues is promo’s opposition to the “Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government Act,” or the SWAG Act. Introduced in the Senate in 2019 by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and introduced in the House of Representatives in January by Rep. Michael Cloud, (R-Texas), the SWAG Act would make it illegal to use federal funds on promo products.
The bill lists a series of prohibitions against federal spending on advertising, such as “a product or merchandise distributed at no cost with the sole purpose of advertising or promoting an agency, organization, program or agenda.” The bill’s text targets several popular promo products, including apparel, tote bags and thermoses, as well as several other items.
RELATED: Chair Of DOGE Senate Caucus Begins Battle Against Swag
“Many of our members do business with federal, state and local government agencies to help them educate and inform citizens about public safety programs, health initiatives and other important information,” says Rachel Zoch, public affairs and research editor at PPAI. “This law would have a chilling effect and decrease the effectiveness of those efforts, ultimately to the detriment of Americans.”
Rachel Zoch
Public Affairs & Research Editor, PPAI
PPAI has opposed this bill since its inception; industry leaders previously met with lawmakers to discuss the act’s implications. PPAI staff and members will again meet with Sen. Ernst during LEAD 2025 to lobby against the SWAG Act.
LEAD 2025
LEAD 2025 takes place April 7-8.
“LEAD offers an important opportunity each year to advocate for our industry through direct conversations with members of Congress and their staffers on Capitol Hill,” says Zoch. “This year, we are especially excited to be working with Thorn Run Partners, our eyes and ears in Washington. With their guidance, we’re hoping it will be an especially impactful event.”
As part of our “promotional products work” message to leaders on Capitol Hill, we’ll be sharing several case studies of successful real-world promo projects for federal and state agencies. These stories will help illustrate for lawmakers why promotional products work, as well as show how promo distributors and suppliers drive growth, create jobs and support local economies.
LEAD Case Studies:
Learn more about PPAI Public Affairs here.
For questions or suggestions on regulatory or government affairs issues, please contact Rachel Zoch at RachelZ@ppai.org.
