Give American Business a Chance to Show the World What We Can Do

This week U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue delivered his annual State of American Business address, in which he examined the nation and its economy through the eyes of its businesspeople. Watch the full address and get more information on key issues at uschamber.com/AbovetheFold.

The president recently gave his final State of the Union address, and like any president would, he put the best possible face on the country’s economy under his stewardship. But American businesses see things a little differently.

Today our job creators confront extraordinary political and geopolitical uncertainty. They are stuck in a tepid economic recovery that has gotten long in the tooth and face another year of anemic growth. Meanwhile, massive new regulatory burdens, taxes, and mandates continue to pour out of Washington.

We can’t eliminate all uncertainty, but we can fix bad policies that have created our sluggish economy and remove impediments to spur jobs, incomes, and growth. Over the coming year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is going to advance a number of priorities that we believe can make a big difference for our country and have the greatest chance of seeing progress in Washington.

On regulations, we’re going to work to stop the largest, costliest, and most overreaching rules that stifle hiring, investment, and growth. We will be employing all our tools to fight these battles — working in the agencies, working with Congress, and going to court.

To boost trade, we’re going to push hard for approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, while strongly encouraging the‎ administration to work with Congress to address legitimate concerns expressed by industry. We will also continue to advocate for a historic agreement with the EU, as well as other treaties that will expand U.S. markets and remove barriers to trade.

When it comes to energy, we’re going to remind lawmakers that oil prices go up and down, but there’s still a huge upside to American energy production — of all kinds — if we seize the opportunity.

And we’re going to bang the drum loudly on the need for major government reforms, including entitlements, immigration, capital markets, legal, education, and tax.

On top of these priorities, we’re going to be deeply involved in the 2016 campaigns. Electing people who believe in free enterprise and want to come to Washington to govern is the single best thing we can do this year to improve our economy. It’s important to remember that we’re not just having an election. We’re having a big debate about what kind of economic system we’re going to have — a government-directed economy or a free enterprise economy.

Despite all the challenges businesses face, we’re optimistic about the future. But a positive future will not come automatically. We must work for it, and we must pursue the right priorities and policies. That’s what the Chamber intends to do.