US Chamber of Commerce to Biden, Congress: Business community ‘ready to help’

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce in an Inauguration Day letter told President-elect Joe Biden and congressional leadership that they will not face the historic economic challenges ahead alone. 

“Together, we must reignite our economy, reassert our long-term leadership and competitiveness, and restore good governance as we chart the way forward out of these crises. And we are fundamentally optimistic that we can do just that if we work in partnership,” Chamber CEO Thomas Donohue and President Suzanne Clark wrote.

The open letter was addressed to Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), incoming Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), as well as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). 

“At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, we know one of the most powerful and life-changing phrases is, ‘You got the job.’ For countless Americans, that sentence holds the promise of a new start, a new chapter, and a new pathway to the American Dream,” they wrote. 

But, the Chamber warned against policies that could be harmful to the business community.

“At the same time, the Chamber strongly cautions against a return to excessive regulation or anti-competitive taxes,” they wrote.

They added, “There won’t be consensus on every issue, and the Chamber will fight vigorously against policies that will hinder — rather than help — a widespread economic recovery.”

McCarthy recently has been calling existing donors to stress that he and his party can work with the incoming Biden administration. He has been working to calm nerves following Republicans objecting to the electoral vote count and the riot at the Capitol, which caused the Chamber to vow to withhold support from certain members going forward.

The U.S. economy has been hammered by the coronavirus pandemic with millions of jobs lost as businesses have been forced to closed down to adhere to public health guidelines.

Jobless claims surged 23 percent up to 965,000 in the first full week in January.