In my previous articles, I shared how ASNT was preparing for our very first Hill
Day—and on 11 March 2025, it finally happened! I am so excited to share that
it was an incredible success. More than 40 ASNT members and staff traveled
to Washington, DC, to represent the nondestructive testing (NDT) industry and
meet directly with lawmakers and their staff on Capitol Hill. Over the course of
the day, we held more than 100 meetings with Congressional offices—all with
one goal: to introduce NDT, educate lawmakers about what we do, and high-
light NDT’s essential role in keeping people safe.
WHAT DID WE
TALK ABOUT?
Our meetings at the Capitol were
centered around why NDT matters.
We shared a one-pager with every
office that explained how NDT plays
a critical role in ensuring the safety,
reliability, and longevity of our nation’s
infrastructure. We talked about how
NDT is essential across a wide range
of industries—including aerospace,
nuclear, energy, manufacturing, and
more.
One thing that really stood out in
our conversations—and is no surprise
to anyone—was how little awareness
there is about NDT. That’s exactly why
Hill Day is so important. We introduced
NDT to staffers who had never heard of
it before, and once they understood it,
they could see the connection to infra-
structure, public safety, and workforce
development.
Another topic that resonated was the
decline in federal research investment in
NDT over the last 15 years. As materials
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ASNT’S FIRST HILL
VOICES HEARD IN
BY GARRA LIMING
More than 40 ASNT members and
staff traveled to Washington, DC,
to represent the nondestructive
testing (NDT) industry and meet
directly with lawmakers and their
staff on Capitol Hill.
54
M AT E R I A L S E V A L U AT I O N • M AY 2 0 2 5

and manufacturing processes continue
to evolve, the lack of research support
creates challenges for our industry. We
also discussed the growing need for auto-
mation, AI-assisted analysis, and workforce
development to keep pace with advance-
ments. We talked about the lack of work-
force and the need to bring more people
into this field while also advancing the
technology that supports NDT.
A STRATEGIC APPROACH
MOVING FORWARD
Going into Hill Day, one of our goals was
to start laying the groundwork for future
legislation specific to NDT. While that
remains a long-term priority for ASNT,
the reality is that the current political
environment may not be conducive to
passing new legislation right away.
Instead, we recognized a real oppor-
tunity to monitor existing legislation for
ways to support or adjust policies that
could benefit the NDT industry. Our
strategy moving forward is to keep
NDT part of the conversation—whether
through supporting or adding to current
bills, workforce development programs,
innovation initiatives, or any area where
NDT can play a role.
OUR MEMBERS MADE
THIS DAY HAPPEN
What made Hill Day so special was our
members. They showed up ready to tell
their stories of how they got into NDT,
the work they do every day, and why
it matters. For some, it was their first
time meeting with their elected officials.
Everyone brought their passion for the
industry and a commitment to making
sure NDT has a seat at the table.
I can’t thank our members enough,
and I am so proud of the way each of
them represented ASNT and the NDT
industry. Their voices made an impact,
and I look forward to all our future Hill
Days! Together, we can make a differ-
ence and bring real change.
WHAT’S NEXT?
ASNT is following up with all the offices
we met with, and we’ll be providing
additional data—especially state-specific
information about NDT industry growth,
workforce numbers, and economic impact.
We’re actively working on that research
and will share more as it develops.
We’re also encouraging our Hill Day
attendees to stay engaged. Follow-up
emails, continued conversations, and
building relationships with lawmakers are
all key to long-term advocacy success.
This is part of the grassroots plan that we
will be launching soon—stay tuned for
more in my next article.
And if you couldn’t join us this year—
don’t worry. This was just the beginning.
We’re already looking ahead to future Hill
Days and new opportunities to advocate
for NDT.
If you want to get involved or learn
more, visit asnt.org/about/ndt-advocacy or
reach out to me directly at govrelations
@asnt.org.
Together, we’re making sure that
when important conversations happen in
Washington, NDT is part of them.
Garra Liming is the Director of Public
Relations and Government Affairs at ASNT.
She can be reached at govrelations@asnt
.org.
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FROM HILL DAY.
DAY: MAKING OUR
WASHINGTON
Members attended a training session prior to Hill Day to ensure they were ready to educate
policymakers on the vital role of NDT.
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