ARLINGTON, Va. – Political consultant Karl Rove, who served as deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, is set to speak at the NACDS Political Action Committee Breakfast during the 2017 NACDS Annual Meeting.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores also announced the cancellation of this year’s RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill advocacy event on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the winter storm that hit the Northeast on Tuesday.

Karl Rove

Rove served as senior adviser to President George W. Bush from 2000 to 2007 and as deputy chief of staff from 2004 to 2007. At the White House, he oversaw the offices of strategic initiatives, political affairs, public liaison and intergovernmental affairs and was deputy chief of staff for policy, coordinating the White House policy-making process.

In addition, Rove became known as the architect of President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns. Prior to that, he was president of Karl Rove + Company, an Austin, Texas-based public affairs firm that worked for Republican candidates, nonpartisan causes and nonprofit groups.

Rove is scheduled to speak at the NACDS-PAC Breakfast on Monday, April 24. The 2017 NACDS Annual Meeting will be held April 22 to 25 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Those who have met with Karl Rove or have seen him speak in any forum know that he will have something to say that cuts to the heart of the matter, and he will say it in a compelling way,” NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said in a statement. “He is the right person to bring unmatched political insights and experience to the discussion of the current political and public policy landscape, and NACDS-PAC Breakfast attendees are going to have a great morning during the NACDS Annual Meeting.”

The bipartisan NACDS-PAC supports congressional candidates who understand and help to advance pro-pharmacy and pro-patient policies. The NACDS-PAC Breakfast is part of the NACDS Chain Members and PAC Breakfast, during which NACDS-related business is conducted. The event is open to NACDS chain members and to NACDS-PAC contributors.

In other news, NACDS said it decided to cancel RxImpact Day on March 14 and 15 because of the nor’easter hitting Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region. Besides citing safety, NACDS noted that the storm will change the congressional calendar, since members of Congress might be delayed in arriving in the nation’s capital.

“We have been evaluating the weather forecasts and its potential impact on the congressional schedule. Further, our goal is to present grassroots events in which safety is first, and which are effective and productive in advancing pharmacy’s ‘Access Agenda,’ ” Anderson stated in a memo on the RxImpact Day cancellation. “Our analysis of the situation is based on these factors and has led us to the decision to cancel at this time. We wanted to notify you as soon as possible once our best determination was made.”

Anderson added, “We will send another communication to you within the next couple of days with ideas about how you can still make an impact for pharmacy this week. We would like to capitalize on the tremendous enthusiasm that you created for this week’s scheduled events, and we have ideas about how we can translate that into action despite the prudent change of plans.”