US Chamber targets more House Democrats with ads opposing $3.5T bill

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched a six-figure television ad campaign Wednesday urging five House Democrats to oppose the party’s $3.5 trillion social spending package that would raise taxes on large corporations.

The ads from the nation’s largest corporate lobbying group argue that Democrats’ proposal to increase taxes on multinational corporations would make it harder for U.S. companies to compete overseas.  

The ad blitz is part of the Chamber’s effort to pressure Democrats to defeat or water down corporate tax hikes that would pay for a proposed “human” infrastructure plan’s huge investments in child care, education and climate change. 

“This legislation would significantly harm the ability of American businesses to continue to compete internationally by introducing new tax hikes on those who sell overseas,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark said in a statement. “This legislation would disadvantage American businesses who compete in the global economy.”

The Chamber’s ads target Reps. Angie Craig (Minn.), Antonio Delgado (N.Y.), Kathy Manning (N.C.), Deborah Ross (N.C.) and Tom Malinowski (N.J.). Those Democrats had some of the slimmest margins of victory in the 2020 elections. Malinowski won by roughly 1 percentage point, while Craig won by around 2 points. 

It’s the second round of television ads from the business group targeting moderate Democrats. Last month, the Chamber aired ads targeting Craig, Delgado and three other House Democrats it endorsed in 2020. The group has said that any lawmaker who votes for the reconciliation package will lose its endorsement. 

The Business Roundtable, a group of the most powerful corporate CEOs, and the RATE Coalition, which represents dozens of major companies, are also running ads pressuring moderate Democrats to oppose their party’s signature spending bill.

Business groups know that they only need to pick off a handful of Democrats to defeat the reconciliation package. Democrats can only afford three defections in the House and none in the Senate.