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Who is Billy Walkowiak? An advocate for consumer safety attends the State of the Union

North Carolina small-business owner Bill Walkowiak will attend President Trump's State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Tim Moore. 

Published on: Feb 25, 2026, 09:27:34 IST
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Bill Walkowiak, a North Carolina small-business owner, is chosen as a guest by Rep. Tim Moore to attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech on Tuesday, February 24.

North Carolina small-business owner Bill Walkowiak will attend President Trump's State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Tim Moore. (Gaston County Police Foundation)
North Carolina small-business owner Bill Walkowiak will attend President Trump's State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Tim Moore. (Gaston County Police Foundation)

Moore's decision to bring Walkowiak to the State of the Union aligns with both his and Walkowiak's stand for “the positive impacts of President Trump’s policies and the Working Families Tax Cuts,” Moore highlighted in the Republican Study Committee for a roundtable.

Read more: Why US women's hockey team is not meeting Trump at White House, skipping SOTU

Who is Billy Walkowiak?

Walkowiak is the founder and CEO of Collision Safety Consultants. In his professional capacity, Walkowiak is state-licensed as a motor vehicle damage appraiser and post-collision repair inspector, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Collision Safety Consultants is an independent firm that specializes in vehicle damage appraisal, collision repair inspection and diminished-value assessments after accidents. According to the official website of Collision Safety Consultants, his work is critical in arbitration and insurance disputes, where understanding the technical aspects of collision repair can affect settlement outcomes.

Beyond his business operations, Walkowiak has been involved in local initiatives and outreach to lawmakers about collision repair standards and insurance transparency.

Repairer Driven News reported that Walkowiak even engaged with state representatives on legislative ideas tied to consumer protection and safety regulations within the automotive sector.

He told Repairer Driven News, “My goals aren’t much different than the Society of Collision Repair Specialists. I want the best for everybody in our community; just like the Society of Collision Repair Specialists wants the best for our industry.”

Read more: Most Americans unhappy with Trump’s policies, 60% dislike tariff tirade: Poll

Significance of Walkowiak's presence at the State of the Union

In preparation for Tuesday night's State of the Union address, President Trump has set the stage for Lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives to attend.

Leaders of the armed forces, Supreme Court judges, and the nation's top lawmakers will swarm the US Capitol in Washington, DC, to listen to the president's speech.

In his speech to a joint session of Congress, Trump will discuss his policy objectives going forward. He will also discuss what he considers to be the successes of his first year in office.

Following a recent Supreme Court ruling that ruled that Trump overreached himself by enacting international tariffs under a legislation reserved for national emergencies, Trump's trade policies may also be discussed.

In the light, lawmakers have guests from the small business sector like Walkowiak, alongside other business voices like Rick Woldenberg, standing for the impact of small businesses in the current national debate.

  • Shirin Gupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shirin Gupta

    Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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