Event in Atlanta Highlights the Power of Bipartisan Solutions to Policy Challenges
ATLANTA— As part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s #LetsGrow Tour, the U.S. Chamber, in partnership with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, hosted an event today at the Delta Flight Museum looking at how players at the local, state, and federal level can work together to accelerate economic growth in Georgia.
The #LetsGrow Tour is a series of events the U.S. Chamber is holding across the country with elected officials, policy leaders, and business owners to hear about growth in their states and opportunities for improvement at the federal level.
“Growth is an imperative because our economy is not growing fast enough to bring millions of Americans who have left the workforce back in—or to provide all younger Americans with rewarding careers in their chosen fields. We believe that with the right policies from government, we can create a much stronger economy with more widespread prosperity—here in Georgia and throughout the country,” said Thomas J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber President and CEO. “The city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia have public leaders who make economic growth a priority—and work on a bipartisan basis to achieve it. We are here to listen and learn and take ideas back to Washington.”
Before an audience of local business representatives and government officials, Donohue pointed out that Atlanta is a place where the public sector, the private sector, and academia work together to promote growth and competitiveness. He praised the Georgia Chamber for being a leader in the state and a valuable voice in Washington, D.C.
“We are excited to showcase our state,” said Chris Clark, Georgia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. “Success in Georgia is a bipartisan effort; our leaders have remained committed to expanding economic opportunity for all Georgians and keeping our state open for business. We’re honored to welcome U.S. Chamber leaders to discuss how we can best move Georgia and the country forward.”
The event today featured several panel discussions, including a conversation between Donohue, Republican Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, and Democrat Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed exploring ways that policymakers can cross the aisle to advance smart policy solutions. The bipartisan duo discussed how to get both political parties to the table on tough issues and their past successes in Georgia.
“Georgia is the No. 1 state in the nation for which to do business for four consecutive years because of the pro-business, pro-jobs environment our local, state, and private partners have worked hard to create and sustain,” Governor Deal added. “Mayor Reed has been a tremendous partner in helping to ensure Georgia continues to attract new businesses, expand existing ones and create jobs for Georgians throughout every corner of our state.”
Representatives from Georgia Tech, MARTA, and UPS participated in a panel on infrastructure, trade, and innovation in Georgia. The closing panel focused on health care and innovation in the state and featured experts from Morehouse School of Medicine, Navicent Health, and Secure Health.
The #LetsGrow Tour was announced during Donohue’s annual State of American Business address in January of this year and includes stops in several cities, including Chicago, Phoenix, Baton Rouge, Atlanta, and Detroit.
