AEM Board Meeting - Welcome by Tom Donohue
Board of Directors Meeting
Welcome by Tom Donohue
President & CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Thank you, Gerry, and welcome, everyone, to the Chamber of Commerce of the
We host some 3,000 events and meetings here every year, and they include international business leaders, heads of state, and top
For example, this evening, in the International Hall of Flags—the room next door—we are hosting a dinner in honor of Nike founder Phil Knight, who will join the Chamber's International Business Hall of Fame.
I'd like to take a moment to talk about a few issues the Chamber is focusing on this year.
We're coming off a very successful 2005. Working with AEM and others, we were able to get a highway bill, DR-CAFTA, class action reform, and an energy bill passed.
But I'll say it straight out – in many respects, this year is shaping up to be more difficult than last.
The issues are more complicated – think about health care, energy, immigration, entitlements, education – and especially the rise of new global competitors and demographics.
The environment is more challenging – it is, after all, an election year, and we are gearing up for major involvement in the key contests that will determine who controls the next Congress.
There is also a compressed legislative calendar and more partisan rancor than I can ever recall – and I've been around
Part of my warning of future difficulties arises from several disappointments we had last year, alongside our many successes.
On energy – we finally got a first-stage energy bill passed, but late last year, Senators balked on opening a small portion of ANWR in
On immigration – the Chamber supports enhanced border security as part of comprehensive immigration reform that meets our workforce's needs and upholds the principles and legacy of
On Social Security and pensions in both the private and public sectors, our nation's collective head is buried firmly in the sand.
Despite the President's best efforts last year – and a lot of support from the business community, including the Chamber -- Social Security reform went nowhere.
The unfunded liability of state and local government pensions continues to grow. And companies are struggling to provide affordable benefits to workers – but they must have flexibility, choice, and liability protections.
And the same set of issues – even more urgent and pronounced – faces us in the complex and emotional issue of healthcare.
No one likes to get sick, no one wants to die, and everyone wants somebody else to pay for their healthcare. If you can figure out that equation, we'll nominate you for the Nobel Peace prize.
Then there's education, in which the Chamber has decided to play a much larger role than we have in the past. It goes right to the heart of our competitiveness as an economy and
Who can sit by and watch the national tragedy unfold whereby 30 percent and more of our young people don't even graduate from high school? The Chamber can't and we won't. And in recent days, with the controversy over the possible transfer of some port operations to a Middle Eastern company, we've seen yet another outcry over foreign participation in our economy – fueled and exploited by ambitious politicians from both parties.
How close are we to the point where this nation starts shutting down the global trade and investment markets that account for one-fourth to one-third of our GDP and millions of American jobs?
Please understand I'm not making a case for pessimism – I'm making a case for even stronger and more aggressive business and Chamber leadership in the months and years ahead.