The Washington Post chose to run a story with a misleading headline and false narrative that the Chamber’s relationships in Washington, D.C. are “souring.”
The truth is the Chamber works with both political parties to advance our pro-business agenda. Our strategy and tactics have proven effective and are endorsed by strong support from our members and state and local chamber partners. Let’s set the record straight.
Building a Governing Majority
The Chamber’s mission continues to be about supporting an environment where business owners can create jobs, grow the economy, and improve people’s lives.
Like any smart organization, our tactics must adapt to new circumstances. We’re no different than our member companies small and large. We adapted our scorecard for Members of Congress to incentivize Democrats and Republicans to come together, work on problems, and come up with lasting, bipartisan solutions. It’s what business leaders do every day, and what they expect from their elected officials.
It’s also why we’re bringing members of both parties together through our Common Grounds virtual event series. Our members want to see a governing majority in Washington, and we’re working hard to build that.
Leading on Infrastructure and Trade
Through the Chamber’s 109 years of existence, we have worked with Democrats and Republicans, House Members and Senators, and all Presidential administrations to drive tangible policy objectives for our members.
And we’re effective.
For years, infrastructure has been an issue continuously on the minds of leaders in our nation’s capital, but little was done.
Yet the Chamber has led on this issue for years, because it’s incredibly important to America’s competitiveness. Our relentlessness paid off in 2021. We’re no longer talking about if there should be comprehensive infrastructure legislation, but what should be included and how should it be paid for. Every day as the debate continues, the Chamber works to build bipartisanship, encourage passage of a bill by July 4th, and push back on bad policy ideas like job-killing tax hikes as a funding mechanism.
To the Post’s credit it noted our success in 2020 to move Congress to pass the United States, Mexico, Canada Agreement (USMCA) that modernized trade with two of our biggest partners. "No organization played a greater role in that landmark victory than the U.S. Chamber,” Glen Hamer, CEO of the Texas Business Council, told the newspaper.
Strong Member Support
Our members and partners appreciate the Chamber’s effectiveness through their continued support. The Post briefly acknowledge this by quoting Hamer who noted the partnership between state chambers and the U.S. Chamber “is very strong and getting stronger by the day.”
Unfortunately, the Post chose to not include facts or the many supportive voices we offered them demonstrating how strongly our membership stands behind the Chamber’s work.
“The Chamber is seeing compelling support from all our constituents, including pro-growth members of Congress on both sides of the aisle,” Dr. Chris Lofgren, Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, told the paper. “Chamber Board leadership met to discuss key metrics, including membership renewals, upgrades and revenue growth, all of which are increasing at rates not seen in a decade. The feedback from our membership is resounding: ‘keep doing what you are doing; we need you now more than ever.’”
Our members see the value in what we’re doing, and we’ll continue to deliver.
Bottom line:Tactics change, but the Chamber’s goals and mission don’t. “Advocating for free enterprise has been our mission, and our mission will not waiver,” Lofgren told the Post. As it has during its entire existence, the Chamber will work with any political party and all ideologies to support job creators and workers to build a strong American economy and country.
