2022 British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG) | A Project for the United Kingdom

The British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG) IVLP project returned in 2022 involving 8 Members of the British Parliament for a two-week program examining the U.S. legislative system. Participants in the 2022 BAPG program included 4 Conservative MPs, 3 Labour MPs, and 1 Member from the Scottish National Party. Participants were hosted on Capitol Hill by 5 Representatives on Wednesday, July 20 (3 Republicans, 2 Democrats). In addition, 4 Representatives hosted pairs or BAPG participants for District Shadowing weekends (2 Republicans, 2 Democrats). In addition, 1 Representative kindly hosted the entire group for a VIP tour of the Capitol Building.

In Washington, DC, they met with the U.S. Department of State, the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office, and the U.S. Department of Defense at The Pentagon in addition to meetings on Capitol Hill with a variety of members of the House of Representatives. Participants were also hosted for dinner by Meridian Board member, Ambassador Dwight Bush and his wife, Antoinette Bush and received a VIP evening tour of the U.S. Capitol from Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51^st). A luncheon with the Meridian Corporate Council gave participants the opportunity to hear from business leaders about transatlantic economic ties.

The heart of the program, however, was a district shadowing experience where program participants traveled in pairs to accompany and shadow Members of Congress as they returned to their districts for a weekend of community events, constituent relations, and campaigning.

The program concluded in Boston, Massachusetts with meetings at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants, and a reception hosted by the British-American Business Council of New England.

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