To the Members of the United States Congress:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, and we urge its swift passage.
This legislation would ensure that the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and State all have the resources necessary to ensure American communities, businesses, employees and their families are protected from global threats.
Military service chiefs have stressed the real jeopardy of funding national defense under a continuing resolution for the rest of the year. They cite shortfalls in readiness, nuclear deterrence, weapons industrial base, and research and development. All these factors could contribute to weakening our national defense capabilities. Once passed, we believe Congress should devote additional attention to enhancing and maximizing the national domestic defense industrial base.
The Chamber supports important Congressional Directed Spending requests included in these bills that would benefit local infrastructure projects in members’ districts and states, and which many state and local chambers of commerce support.
The Chamber commends provisions to extend the President’s Emergency Plan for Aid Relief (PEPFAR), which is credited with saving the lives of approximately 25 million Africans over the past two decades, and we urge Congress to provide a longer-term reauthorization next year. This bipartisan program is a credit to America’s humanitarian values, and it has strengthened U.S.-Africa ties in ways that generate economic and security benefits for Americans and Africans alike.
We applaud the leadership of many members of the House and Senate to ensure that the legislation provides 12,000 additional Special Immigrant Visas for America’s Afghan allies. For the thousands of Afghans who are struggling to rebuild their lives after their country fell to the Taliban, these additional visas will help families adjust to their new lives in America.
We also welcome the inclusion of provisions that allocate additional H-2B visas and provide extra flexibility to the many businesses across the country which struggle to meet their seasonal workforce needs. These measures help many small businesses to grow and prosper.
Thank you for completing work on this important legislation and we urge you to vote in favor when it comes to the floor.
Sincerely,
Neil L. Bradley
Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer,
and Head of Strategic Advocacy
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
