Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
How did the first weekend of holiday shopping impact your business?
America’s global trade agenda stands at a crossroads. With the victory of passing long-delayed free trade agreements (FTAs) with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea behind us, new challenges and opportunities in trade loom large. Moving forward boldly is no longer a luxury—it’s an economic imperative.
Following the failure of the deficit supercommittee, which should happen next?
Time ran out for the debt supercommittee to find at least $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion in savings over the next decade. While the committee failed to meet the initial deadline this week, its work can and should continue. Congress still has until December 23 to pass a plan and avert deep, automatic cuts called sequestration. By missing this week’s deadline, Congress will only have forfeited the filibuster-proof protections. And the committee can still pass a deal, even a smaller one—that would represent progress.
UPDATED November 21, 2011
President Obama today signed legislation to repeal a requirement that federal, state, and local governments withhold 3% of payments to their contractors beginning in 2013. The move marks the successful culmination of a years-long lobbying, grassroots, and advertising campaign by the Chamber, its members, and other business groups to erase the onerous mandate.
International Trade Balance
This Veterans Day, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and businesses across America highlighted one of the most tangible ways to honor our veterans: meaningful employment opportunities.
Nationwide, 1 million veterans are out of work. A staggering 27% of young veterans aged 18 to 24 are unemployed. And as forces are drawn down in Iraq and Afghanistan, tens of thousands of servicemembers will separate from the military and enter the civilian workforce. We must welcome these heroes home to an open, robust job market and work to stem the rising tide of veterans’ unemployment.
How should the Supreme Court rule on the constitutionality of the individual mandate in the 2010 health care law?
