CGA is expanding its outreach on Capitol Hill to ensure congressional leaders understand the critical role compressed gases play in U.S. defense, military readiness and national security.

In recent months, CGA’s Government Affairs Committee has met with congressional offices and staff supporting the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to discuss how compressed gases support defense manufacturing, military operations, aerospace, weapons and equipment production, and other national security applications. Additional meetings are planned as CGA continues building relationships with policymakers involved in defense policy.

The initiative grew out of a discussion during CGA’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia, where the Government Affairs Committee met with Richard St. Onge, a staff member of the House Armed Services Committee. That conversation highlighted an important challenge: Despite the industry’s essential role across the defense sector, compressed gases and their applications are not always well understood by policymakers.

CGA is working to close that awareness gap by giving policymakers a clearer understanding of the industry, its supply chain and the applications that depend on a reliable supply of industrial and specialty gases.

These meetings also provide an opportunity to establish CGA and its members as a resource as Congress develops defense legislation and policy. Earlier engagement can help identify potential risks, prevent unintended disruptions and support a resilient compressed gas supply chain that strengthens U.S. military readiness, defense production and national security.

You can download the leave-behind from our recent congressional meetings by clicking the link on the right side of this page.