The sequester is bad public policy and should be replaced with prioritized spending cuts. But, this legislation would be worse than even the sequester.
We need to focus on legislation that can make a difference right away—improvements to information sharing and other effective measures that have earned broad stakeholder support.
Going over the fiscal cliff and allowing the largest tax increase in our history would certainly severely hamper if not totally eliminate economic growth for the near term.
Legislative activity will be light, but there are three deadlines that Congress cannot ignore.
Lawmakers need to move quickly to avoid going over the edge.
An open letter to Congress lays a course of action to avoid fiscal calamity.
The U.S. medical device industry is an economic star, but its success is threatened by the medical device tax.
by Bruce Josten
As Congress continues in its year-end scramble to finish work and head home for the holidays, we continue to see bills with laudable goals but with provisions that undermine those goals by levying punitive taxes on specific sectors or industries and creating obstacles to job creatio
Today the House of Representatives proved that members on both sides of the aisle can come together to improve our economy. The bipartisan repeal of the 3% withholding tax is an important step to removing one of the onerous government burdens on job creators that have hampered our economic recover
Yesterday, a group of Senators including John McCain (R-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Rand Paul (R-KY), introduced the "Jobs Through Growth Act." This legislation marks a departure from a "government knows best" approach and instead empowers the private sector to rescue our economy. As the Chamber
Today, we are encouraged to see a bipartisan cross-section of lawmakers introducing legislation to increase the competitiveness of American business. Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ)’s bill, the “Foreign Earnings Reinvestment Act,” would encourage companies to bring overseas
As our nation works to pull out of a recession with record unemployment stubbornly hovering above 9%, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate only further hinders economic recovery. Recognizing this, legislation to repeal the provision will reduce the impending financial
Today, at the Chamber's Quarterly Economic Briefing, former head of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Douglas Holtz-Eakin released a study touting the job-creating benefits of a temporary reduction in the taxes on foreign earnings brought back to the United States.
Building upon an analysi
For the sake of near- and long-term job creation, stronger economic growth, and enhanced U.S. competitiveness, the Chamber strongly supports robust surface transportation reauthorization legislation that addresses revenue shortfalls and includes necessary and urgent policy and program reforms.
We have been telling you for weeks and months that defaulting on our debt is not an option – it has real, immediate, and potentially catastrophic consequences.
As Tom Donohue and Rob Nichols outlined in their joint USA Today op-ed just last week, failure to raise the debt ceiling would have calam
Ahead of this morning’s Senate Banking Committee hearing on Dodd-Frank implementation, the Chamber’s Bruce Josten sent a letter to Members of the Committee. The letter includes 10 questions for committee members to ask witnesses during the hearing that take into account the unintended consequence
Concerned that some independent federal agencies were not included in President Obama’s executive order last January to review duplicative and unneeded regulations, we sent a letter to 13 agencies asking them to voluntarily review their books for unreasonable regulations. Today we’re were pleased
As you probably know, the big news yesterday was the President’s Executive Order requiring federal agencies to review all regulations "that stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive." Tom Donohue called the move "a positive first step" while noting that, "a robust and globally comp
by Bruce JostenOn behalf of the business community, I am disappointed in Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson's recent Wall Street Journal editorial, "The EPA Turns 40." Instead of celebrating the Agency's successes over the past 40 years—and to be clear, there have been many—
by Bruce JostenLess than a month before Election Day we are seeing an attempt by some Washington politicians to distract, dodge, and deny their records. The Chamber will continue to remind voters where candidates stand on policies that create jobs in America.Desperate, partisan attacks are a transpa
The past few weeks have seen some unwelcome news about the economy, with current growth slowing, projected growth next year of only 2% and a rise in jobless claims. In response to this Senate leaders are focused on protecting their own jobs - not creating jobs for Americans - by passing a law stif
I have just sent the below letter to Chairman Brady, Ranking Member Lungren and the other members of the Committee on House Administration.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations of eve
As introduced by Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman.
The Chamber supports efforts to address energy security and climate change, and believes that any legislation must be comprehensive and bipartisan, and take into account a wide spectrum of issues including American jobs and our economy. We
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today released public opinion polls in 10 key congressional districts—all of which showed voters oppose current health care legislation being discussed in Congress, with substantial majorities saying it will raise the cost of their health care. Despite having elected De
The below letter was sent today to the members of the U.S. House of Representatives:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region, strongly opposes the Senate
by Bruce Josten Today's summit was a chance to have an open dialogue and discuss real solutions to improve our current health care system and lower costs. If Congress agrees to start over, there are clearly many areas of agreement where targeted legislation could achieve the results Americans want a
by J.P. Fielder
On the one year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today released a report highlighting the consequences of Buy American provisions. The Chamber's executive vice president of Government Affairs Bruce Josten had this to say:
Whil
Despite numerous polls showing the majority of Americans are opposed to the Senate health care bill, sixty senators chose to ignore their objections. The business community has been consistent in calling for health care reform, but the bill that was passed by the Senate today is counterproductive,
Now that sixty Senators have decided against using their opportunity to improve the latest version of health care reform, it appears the concerns of the broader business community will not be addressed. We recognize the inclusion of a few improvements in the nearly 400-page Manager's Amendment, whi
With the passage of H.R. 3962, the health care bill, the House missed a significant opportunity to advance reasonable and meaningful health reform that fundamentally changes how the health care system operates and changes the overall upward trajectory in spending. American employers and employees
On Tuesday I sent a letter to Senators Boxer and Inhofe on climate change which reminded:
"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce believes climate change is an important issue for this Congress to address. The Chamber stands ready to work with Congress to resolve this issue in a bipartisan manner that recog
The business community has strongly advocated for health care reform and the Senate Finance bill is the best effort to date. We applaud the provisions in this bill that will lower health care costs, increase coverage, and improve the quality of care. These range from fairly regulating the insurance
I had the pleasure of giving testimony before the Senate Finance Committee today -- complete testimony here -- both applauding Congress' efforts to achieve access to affordable health care coverage for all Americans, and urging caution as proposals are crafted which could prove harmful to the U.S.
Ahead of Congressional action on proposed cap and trade legislation, Charles River Associates today released a study, commissioned by the Coalition for Affordable American Energy (CAAE), exposing the economic consequences. The CAAE is a coalition of more than 180 trade associations representing mi
President Barack Obama may try to push through Congress a health-care overhaul, energy proposals and tax increases by using a partisan tactic that would thwart Republican efforts to block the measures. The administration and congressional Democrats are debating whether to use a parliamentary proce
The AP performs a "fact check" on the impact of the proposed budget on small businesses and comes to the conclusion that the impact is slight because only 663,000 of the people who save, invest, and create jobs would be affected. Though this number of affected small businesses may appear small, the
While we have not seen all the details, the president's disappointing budget proposal appears to move in exactly the wrong direction. More taxes, heavy-handed regulations, and command-and-control government will not hasten recovery. Instead, it will delay it and do so at a terrible cost to taxpayer
Since the elections, we've vowed to work with the President to quickly develop and pass a stimulus bill that would apply a defibrillator to our economy and shock it back to life.
While we're concerned with individual items in this package, the whole is more important than the individual parts. The
While the legislation passed by the Senate today is not perfect and should be improved in conference, it is a positive step forward. It offers a much-needed shot in the arm for employers trying to stay afloat, workers concerned about keeping their jobs, and those who have lost work because of the
In our State of American Business report we called for government to streamline regulatory and licensing processes to allow, and encourage, private industry to make large capital commitments in infrastructure; a position we have reinforced in our letters to Congress regarding the pending stimulus b
As we have stated from the beginning, the U.S. Chamber will support any measure that will speed economic recovery and put people back to work. The tax relief measures reportedly under consideration by the incoming administration and senior lawmakers as part of a stimulus package fits that criteria.
Over at the National Journal the U.S. Chamber's Bruce Josten lays out a comprehensive case for supporting the Big Three automakers. If there is any doubt in your mind, read the whole thing; I am just going to pull out numbers 4 and 5:
Fourth, the automotive industry is a critical sector of the U.S
I have just sent a letter to the Members of the U.S. Congress urging them to consider legislation to stimulate economic activity and spur job growth. From the letter:
The U.S. economy, which is already in recession, continues to be buffeted by the unwinding of the housing market, a severe liquidit
It’s a shame that Senator Schumer would try to turn our pro-jobs, pro-growth agenda into a partisan issue for his campaign purposes – especially at a time when our nation needs leadership and unity in Washington. For nearly 100 years the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has advocated for America’s business
With the American economy on life support, Congress took the necessary step to stop the bleeding. Today’s bipartisan vote in the House is a major step toward stabilizing the credit markets and supporting Main Street businesses.
Every day there was a delay in shoring up our financial markets, Amer
The Senate took a major step toward stabilizing the economy today by supporting an economic recovery package combined with important tax extenders. Now is the time for the House to put partisan differences aside and the American people first. They must follow suit and pass this bill.
This bipartisa
// 3 Oct 2008, 1:35pm - U.S. Chamber Hails Passage of Financial Rescue Bill
//10:54pm Update: Senate shows leadership, now back to the House.
I have sent this key vote letter to the members of the United States Senate, urging them to to approve the substitute amendment expected to be offered by Sen
I have sent this key vote letter to Congress:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, urges Congress to immediately pass the bipartisan financial rescue package to stem
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce would like to commend Congress and the administration for reaching agreement on a plan to shore up our financial system. This plan contains the necessary elements to successfully remove the uncertainty and stem the turmoil that has plagued financial markets in recent we
I have sent the below letter to Congress urging all Members to come to a bipartisan agreement and quickly pass legislation to provide liquidity and stability to U.S. financial markets. From the letter:
Both the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Res
Make no mistake—if Congress does not act quickly, decisively, and responsibly to prevent a total freeze up of our financial system, the entire economy could collapse with devastating consequences. Without a doubt, it would be the greatest financial calamity since the Great Depression, impacting con
I have sent this letter to the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives stating that the U.S. Chamber:
Strongly opposes H.R. 6899, the "Comprehensive American Energy Security and Taxpayer Protection Act." Judged in total, this legislation represents a small step forward and several giant steps
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce would like to praise the bipartisan action by Congress to immediately shore up the depleted Highway Trust Fund. The bill (HR 6532) transfers $8 billion from the General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund, ensuring there is no further disruption in highway reimbursements to
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly opposes the options set forth in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to regulate greenhouse gases under the existing Clean Air Act (CAA). Last month, the Chamber urged Congress to enact legislation preventing
The Chamber welcomes President Bush’s plan to lift the executive ban on oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and for calling on Congress to lift its ban. With gas now over $4 a gallon, Congress and the administration should be doing everything in their power to incentivize and prod
by Bruce Josten
Bjorn Lomborg spoke at the Chamber's "Policy Insiders" series yesterday. In addition to his background described in his Washington Post op-ed published today, Lomborg is Director of Denmark's National Environmental Assessment Institute, was named one of the world's most influential
A new poll by David Winston found widespread support - more than 75% - for extension of President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Sixty-one percent of respondents said raising taxes would harm the economy.
I think it is clear, from an exchange which occurred May 1st on the House floor, that our Re
As reported by the Regional Plan Association - which covers New York, New Jersey and Connecticut - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recently hit the nail on the head regarding a key challenge facing efforts to renew and rebuild our Nation’s infrastructure.Pelosi warned, however, that public educat
Congress should approve the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which will deliver significant benefits for American workers and farmers. At a time of uncertainty for the U.S. economy, politics must stop at the water’s edge. I would like to express my strong support for the agreement.
The
