February 2026 Volume 8

WASHINGTON UPDATE

credential for businesses to upskill current or future employees for short-term, industry-recognized, and technology-focused credentials. Policymakers in Washington and around the country are involved in almost every facet of the forging industry. Too often the assumption is action only leads to over-regulation, over-taxation, and government overreach. Taking a different approach to decisions made by elected officials may open new opportunities for businesses. Instead of simply sending money to Washington and state capitals, manufacturers should put your tax dollars back into your shops and communities. Use resources available and the benefits of FIA membership to identify federal, state, and local grant, tax, and other policies that can improve your global competitiveness. China’s “super R&D deduction” allows many of their businesses to deduct 200% of qualifying R&D expenses. That alone should prompt U.S. industry to take advantage of every dollar their government is willing to give back.

Omar S. Nashashibi is the Founder of Inside Beltway, a nonpartisan lobbying and strategic consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Having worked in the nation’s capital for over twenty-five years, Mr. Nashashibi provides strategic consulting services to companies while also lobbying the White House and Congress on behalf of manufacturing, associations, defense firms, nonprofits, and other sectors. He works with policymakers on trade, taxes, environmental and workplace regulations, supply chains, job training and identifying grants and funding to support projects. Having started his career in Washington

D.C. in 1996, Mr. Nashashibi worked for the Office of Management and Budget, a branch of the White House, a large multi-state law firm, and founded a previous lobbying firm in 2005. He graduated from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he studied Political Science and International Affairs. He is based in Washington, D.C., representing the Forging Industry Association. He can be reached at omar@insidebeltway.com.

NEED A FORGING PRODUCER?

Visit www.forging.org for information on FIA’s FREE Request for Quotation (RFQ) program.

www.forging.org info@forging.org (216) 781-6260

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2026 7