Last week, Suzanne P. Clark, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, delivered the Chamber’s annual State of American Business address. The presentation streamed live from the Chamber’s Washington DC headquarters.
In her opening remarks, Clark’s message was that the state of business is strong, but the state of the economy is fragile. “Fears about the economy, compounded by doubt in Washington, push businesses to act in a way that turns those concerns into reality.”
Clark was clear about the current state of the U.S. government and its need to set conditions that strengthen businesses. Among the recommendations offered to achieve success included:
- Bolster America’s strength by building infrastructure
- Pass meaningful permitting reform
- Upskill workers
- Address worker shortages by fixing the immigration system and securing the border
- Improve access to childcare and get parents back into the workforce
- Incentivize work and require capable adults drawing government benefits to work
- End the bias toward higher education being the only pathway to success by expanding access and financing to training programs that lead to good jobs
- Expand American energy production by accelerating permitting for new exploration and production, and finalize a 5-year offshore leasing
- Boost trade and deepen strategic partnerships
- Address the “explosive growth of third-party litigation
- Local and state governments to enact policy changes to help law enforcement and prosecutors to go after criminals and keep our communities and businesses safe
