WASHINGTON D.C. — The second day of RVs Move America Week provided another dose of committee meetings, as well as Advocacy Day training and an entertaining if not insightful luncheon presentation by Robert Costa, national correspondent for “CBS News Sunday Morning” and chief Washington analyst for CBS News.
Hosted by the RV Industry Association (RVIA), RVs Move America Week features two days of committee meetings where volunteers from across the RV industry collectively work to build a strategic roadmap to help define future growth of the $159 billion RV industry. Following that is Advocacy Day, in which attendees will rub elbows with federal policymakers and industry innovators, forging relationships beneficial to the future growth of the RV market.
The first day featured meetings by the following committees: Standards Steering, RV Aftermarket, Go RVing Board & Coalition, Market Information, Park Model RV, Government Affairs, Financial Services, and Public Relations.
The second day offered additional committee meetings, including RVIA/RVDA Executive Committee, Lawyers Committee, Member & Supplier Committee, Workplace Safety Committee, RVDA Board meeting, and the Campground Coalition. In addition, there will be a meeting with the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as well as a meeting by the Canadian RV Dealers Association (RVDA of Canada) and Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association (CRVA) with their government officials at the Canadian Embassy.
RVDA of Canada President Eleonore Hamm said the meeting at the Embassy went very well, and CRVA President Shane Devenish said the Canadian Coalition meeting also was well received.
“It’s really important for the Canadian RV industry to be part of the discussions,” he said, “and to share concerns, challenges, experiences, and what we’re seeing in the market with our U.S. counterparts and then us hearing from the U.S. representatives and RVIA. It’s proved really instrumental and it’s a big part of our year.”
As one might expect, Devenish said the biggest topic of discussion was the ongoing trade issue between Canada and U.S.
“Ever since we had signed this free trade agreement with the U.S. originally in 1989 when we got rid of duties on both sides, we’ve enjoyed a really good trade,” Devenish said, noting that 95% of units sold in Canada were built in the U.S, which are now subject to tariffs. “So, we’re really stressing that the RV industry is a real imbalanced trade — 40,000 units coming to Canada, only 1,700 going to the U.S. So, we’re really advocating for tariffs-free trade on both sides.”
The luncheon presentation by Costa offered a glimpse into Washington politics from the view of a seasoned journalist who seems to have a knack for identifying unsung or new politicians before they reach the national spotlight — including Donald Trump way back when he was an outsider looking to make a name for himself in politics.
Costa shared an insightful story of when he asked Trump about his father, Fred — he’s had the same framed photo of his father on his desk in Trump Tower for years, and it’s with him now in the Oval Office. One time, Costa referenced the photo and asked him what his father was like.
“He said, ‘My father was the toughest person I ever met. Tough, tough, tough. And all he cared about was being tough. You got to be tough. And he thought this country was being ripped off on trade,’” Costa said. “I said, ‘There we go.’ The one consistent issue President Trump has had ideologically throughout his entire career is trade, and that was the issue that animated his father.”
Costa went on to share stories of meeting Steve Bannon back when he was an unknown filmmaker trying to promote a movie that would launch Sarah Palin into the White House and when Bernie Sanders was still seeking his spot in the presidential election discussion. Costa said he approached those and all other instances with one guiding principle: Assume nothing and treat them with respect. That respect will be reciprocated, he said, and you never know where their journey might lead them.
What follows are summaries of several of Tuesday’s RVIA committee meetings.
• The first 45 minutes of the Membership & Supplier Committee meeting was dedicated to political matters, as RVIA Vice President of Government Affairs Jason Rano offered an update on a handful of legislative issues. Among those issues were that status of various tariffs as well as the latest on PFAS‚ also known as “forever chemicals,” that several states — with Minnesota and New Mexico garnering the most immediate attention — are looking to regulate.
Rano highlighted several political wins, but acknowledged PFAS “continues to be the most high-profile issue our Government Affairs team is working on.”
Committee Chairman Mike Cheney of VALTO Engineered Materials noted that those matters impact all suppliers.
“There’s no differentiation between suppliers on how you respond to PFAS investigations. There’s no competitive advantage — it affects us all equally — so we can learn from each other,” he told RVBusiness.
Cheney added that there are more supplier members of RVIA than any other segment, and that status is not lost on the committee.
“I think what we’re trying to wrap our arms around is, how can we leverage RVIA as a supplier group to benefit not only us, but how can we service the industry better?” he said.
Another highlight from the committee meeting was the results of a 2025 RVIA Membership Survey. Among the key takeaways were: tariffs are the top short-term concern followed by supply chain, costs, and fluctuating demand; in the long term, members are focused on expanding the market, improving quality, reducing costs, and regulations; and advocacy and government affairs have become a high-priority member value.
“It’s really great to see that people are recognizing the overall impact of the industry,” Cheney said. “And that’s how I look at it, too: we’re supporting the industry. If the industry grows, we grow. So, things like coming here and advocating for the industry, even if it’s something that may not be important to me like interest rate deductions and things like that, if that helps sell more RVs, then it’s all good.
• The main topic of conversation for the Campground Coalition meeting was Grounding Monitor Interrupters (GMI) that — pending approval of the RVIA Board of Directors — will be a required component of all 2028 model year RVs.
Many of the state campground association executives in attendance said their members will need more information on this issue. Specifically, they are hoping the GMI testing devices will be available so they can upgrade their park’s electrical infrastructure, if necessary.
Coalition Chairman Trevor Kropf of Kropf Industries said an informational document will be created in partnership with the RVIA Standards Steering Committee and Tristan Ciceri, president of Electrical Works, who was recently named to the National Electric Code’s (NEC) Code-Making Panel 7 (NEC-P07).
“We’re going to do a one-page summary and get it out to all the campgrounds and the consumers out there to make their experience safer and a little bit more enjoyable,” Kropf told RVBusiness. “Right now, I don’t think the education is out there. So, we are going to be that information source for the industry.”
Kropf added that matters like GMI are exactly why the Campground Coalition was formed just a few short years ago. The group serves as a communal platform where issues can be discussed, ideas can be shared, and the overall camping industry can move forward in a unified effort.
“The whole premise of having this coalition was to have everyone here, which year after year we prove that that’s the case,” he said.
“It’s great to see all segments of the industry come together to work collectively to educate consumers, campgrounds, dealers on the importance of GMI and safety,” added Chris Bornemann, senior director of Government Affairs with RVIA. “It was great discussions today and we had all the stakeholders in the room to talk about educational materials and documents that we’ll be putting out.”
