USA : Core competitive challenges to drive growth & prosperity

Speaking before an assembly of business leaders, Chamber President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue said that American lawmakers must use the coming year to proactively address a series of pressing issues that have the potential to unleash the U.S economy or, if left unaddressed, cripple it.
In his annual State of American Business speech, Donohue called on Congress to enact aggressive reforms and initiatives in areas ranging from education and energy policy to federal immigration laws and the aging transportation infrastructure.
“As we meet here today, the country’s future is clouded by Washington’s failure to seriously address the core competitive challenges that will drive growth, opportunity, and prosperity in the 21st century,” Donohue said.
“The world has changed and so too must our policies and practices. The Chamber, along with many of you, has been actively speaking out on these challenges for years. Progress has been made on some issues, but overall, a culture of complacency and neglect has defined our national response. And that is not the America we know.”
In his critique, Donohue cited the failure so far of the Congress to reauthorize and strengthen the “No Child Left Behind” Act. He also noted the promotion of energy proposals and policies that condemn high fuel prices and carbon emissions while continuing to impose restrictions that discourage the production of clean, diverse domestic energy.
In addition, Donohue warned against a federal trend to over-regulate, over-litigate and over-tax the U.S. capital markets thus driving overseas the very money needed for renewed domestic investment and new jobs.

The economic health of the nation was a key component of the remarks with Donohue decrying a litany of new taxes being proposed by legislators and candidates for federal office. “If you are looking for a perfect recipe for that recession everyone is talking about, that’s it—right there,” said Donohue.
Donohue also restated the Chamber’s strong commitment to an aggressive legal reform agenda designed to stop frivolous and costly lawsuits that destroy jobs and retard growth and also called upon congressional leaders to jump start stalled free trade agreements so that American companies can compete internationally.
In an acknowledgement of the already heated Congressional and presidential contests, Donohue said the Chamber would clearly articulate its pro-growth business and jobs agenda and would use its extensive financial resources and grassroots network to promote those same ideas with candidates and voters across the country.
“The bottom line is this – we must stop the practices and policies that undermine economic expansion and start doing more to promote the principles of a successful 21st century economy,” said Donohue. “This is the message. This is the program. This is the commitment that the Chamber will carry forward to the American people.”
The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.