What’s the Word From the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Rise Up 'Deplorables': Rallying Round Pro-America Businesses

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions. Our members range from mom-and-pop shops and local chambers to leading industry associations and large corporations. They all share one thing—they count on the Chamber to be their voice in Washington, D.C.

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SAFETY

The U.S. Chamber strongly believes that America’s food supply must be abundant, affordable, and the world’s safest. READ MORE

CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT

The Chamber strongly supports continued environmental improvements, including sensible approaches to addressing climate change. READ MORE

DEBT AND DEFICIT

The United States has a debt problem—and it threatens not only our long-term fiscal health, but also our future as a competitive and growing nation. Put simply, the federal government has been spending at a faster rate than revenues come in, resulting in large budget deficits and unsustainable levels of debt.

The Chamber is calling for government reforms that will address the looming crisis of unsustainable entitlement programs, keep deficit spending low for the long-term, and rein in our growing debt. READ MORE

EDUCATION

A strong education system is crucial to preparing people for good jobs and bright futures and sustaining a 21st century workforce that can compete in the global economy.

The Chamber is focused on fixing shortcomings in our education system so that students emerge from our public education system prepared for college or a career; higher education is more accessible and affordable; employers can find workers with the right skills and qualifications; and our workforce will attract investment, drive growth, and spur innovation. READ MORE

ENERGY

America is in the midst of a true energy revolution. After decades of fear over potential energy scarcity, we are now in an era of energy abundance, driven by technological innovation and American know-how.

But will we have the wisdom to capitalize on this opportunity? If we develop smart policies, we can use affordable and abundant energy to launch a manufacturing revival, improve our trade deficit, effectively increase household spending power, and revitalize America’s economy. READ MORE

FINANCIAL REGULATION

Businesses of all sizes need well-functioning and multi-faceted capital markets. Excessive and unnecessary banking and securities regulations constrain access to capital for businesses, making it harder for them to form and grow. The Chamber believes a free and efficient capital market system is essential to economic growth and innovation.

In addition, public companies are facing increasing outside pressure to focus on short term gains and special interests over long term wellbeing and investment. The Chamber is focused on rebalancing the system to reinvigorate the public company model. READ MORE

FREE SPEECH

There are some freedoms that define the American dream and bring vitality to a productive, innovative, and prosperous free enterprise system. Those freedoms include the right to speak, the right to due process, and the right to take a risk and be rewarded, not vilified, for your success.

These rights are the building blocks of our free society and our free enterprise system. And when they come under attack, the Chamber responds.  READ MORE

FEDERAL CONTRACTING

The U.S. Chamber works to streamline the acquisition process, ensure a fair and open procurement system, and encourage the government to rely more on the private sector for the goods and services it needs. READ MORE

HEALTH CARE

In many ways, U.S. health care is the envy of the world—it has helped many individuals live longer than ever and enjoy a better quality of life than previously possible. However, we continue to face the challenge of making quality health care more affordable, more accessible, and more reliable for all Americans.

The Chamber is focused on promoting effective private sector solutions to our health care challenges that will help control costs, expand access, and improve the quality of care. READ MORE

IMMIGRATION

Commonsense immigration reform would boost economic growth, create jobs, and spur innovation and entrepreneurship. And it would renew America’s legacy of being an open and welcoming country where anyone who works hard can achieve his or her dreams. READ MORE

INFRASTRUCTURE

Most Americans agree that our roads, bridges, mass transit systems, air and sea ports, and water infrastructure are critical national assets that drive growth, jobs, safety, and global competitiveness.

What we can’t seem to agree on is how to pay for badly needed maintenance and repairs. It’s time to stop thinking about infrastructure as a problem, but as an opportunity for bipartisan agreement to invest wisely and carefully in our most critical needs, while eliminating wasteful spending. READ MORE

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Our economy is driven by the need to innovate, create, and develop new ways to serve consumers, and industries that rely on intellectual property (IP) play an essential role.

When inventors, researchers, engineers, artists, and entrepreneurs know that their work will be protected and rewarded through strong IP rights—including patents, trademarks, and copyrights—they have the certainty and the incentive to keep the economy-boosting innovations coming. Moreover, IP protections guard consumers against dangerous fakes and counterfeit goods. READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Selling more of our goods and services around the world is crucial to creating American jobs, helping small businesses, and keeping the United States ahead of its global competitors.

The Chamber wants to negotiate trade and investment agreements that are fair and accountable, that create a level playing field, and that put American families and workers first.

Trade policy can and must benefit all consumers and businesses, including small businesses, which represent 98% of all U.S. exporters. READ MORE

LABOR

The United States economy is supported by a highly innovative, creative, productive, and industrious workforce. The jobs that make up the U.S. economy—and the businesses that create those jobs—help workers provide for their families and lead healthy, comfortable, and fulfilling lives.

To keep the economy vibrant and to continue to create opportunity for workers, we must ensure that new businesses can be launched and current ones can be expanded. The U.S. Chamber promotes workplace policies that will enhance, not inhibit, economic growth and job creation. READ MORE

LEGAL REFORM

An effective legal system is critical to advancing free enterprise. Unfortunately, many lawsuits in this country lack merit or are downright abusive. Making matters worse, the lawyers who bring these types of suits tend to be the real beneficiaries—not their clients. To be sure, economic data show that the U.S. tort system in 2016 alone cost $3,329 per U.S. household, and only 57 cents on the dollar went to compensate the actual victim. READ MORE

NATIONAL AND CYPER SECURITY

Economic security and national security go hand-in-hand. We must have one in order to protect the other.

The Chamber advocates for protecting vital U.S. assets—both physical and digital—to ensure the safety and security of our citizens and promote the free flow of commerce and information that drives our economy and enriches our society. READ MORE

REGULATORY REFORM

The Chamber recognizes the need for smart regulations to ensure workplace safety and protect public health. But with a $2 trillion price tag in compliance costs and an increasing number of huge and complex rules, it’s clear the regulatory system isn’t working the way it should.

Americans deserve a working regulatory system that is fair for everyone, takes into account the views of communities and businesses, evaluates the impact rules will have on jobs and small businesses, and protects our economic and personal freedoms. READ MORE

RETIREMENT

American businesses of every size maintain a long-held commitment to providing voluntary benefits that support the welfare of their workers. As Americans live longer, healthier, and more active lives, retirement security becomes a greater concern—particularly with the uncertainty surrounding government programs like Social Security.

The private employer-provided retirement system has contributed significantly to the retirement needs of millions of seniors. The Chamber and its members are committed to continuing the success of the system and ensuring the long-term retirement security of Americans. READ MORE

TAXES

The Chamber continues to fight for a streamlined tax system allowing taxpayers to make smarter decisions about how they work, save, and invest, and unleashing the power of American businesses—large and small—to create jobs. READ MORE

TECHNOLOGY

Technology-based industries and businesses create tremendous growth and opportunity in the U.S. economy and are essential to competing in an interconnected world. Outdated laws and regulations impede U.S. technological innovation and deployment. READ MORE

TRANSPORTATION

America has always been a nation on the move. But an aging and crumbling transportation system is not only slowing Americans down, it’s reducing productivity, undermining our ability to move products across the country and around the world, and increasing congestion and air pollution.

Our transportation system is a tremendous national asset we’ve built up over generations. It has fueled economic growth, enhanced our competitiveness, and created a lot of good jobs. If well-maintained, it can continue to deliver outstanding benefits to all Americans. READ MORE

TRAVEL AND TOURISM

America is leaving travel-related jobs and revenues on the table because we’re not laying out the welcome mat for business travelers and tourists. We need to ensure that when tourists are ready to travel and business people are ready to make deals, they come to the greatest travel destination of them all—the United States of America. READ MORE

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