The State of American Business

Competition builds our country, makes it exceptional and moves it forward. When people have opportunities and incentives to fulfill their potential and achieve their dreams, nothing can hold them back. When businesses have the space to grow and innovate, the possibilities are endless. When our society allows for the free exchange of ideas, innovations, and commerce, we can harness the best of human imagination and ingenuity for the pursuit of a better future. Competition makes this possible because it is the process for challenging, refining, improving, and progressing.

Competition for global leadership pushes us to engage with the world for our own security and prosperity and to lead the world in its advancement. To keep our competitive edge, we need to open new markets for trade and investment, contend with a rising China, and ensure that our tax code and regulatory framework don’t put U.S. companies at a disadvantage with our international competitors.

Competition in the marketplace brings the best ideas to life, to scale, and to people and communities everywhere. It makes innovation possible, choices abundant, and prices low. American businesses of all sizes, thriving in our free market system, have built the most innovative, resilient, and dynamic economy in history—and they will help our nation lead the future. That’s why the U.S. Chamber fights back against government overreach that would undermine our fragile economic recovery. Policymakers must act as enablers, not inhibitors to growth, innovation, jobs, and prosperity.

Competition of ideas fosters the civil discourse and constructive exchange of views that lead to common ground and real solutions. The competition of ideas is alive and well in business. It’s all but dead in politics. We need lawmakers, media, and business leaders to get on the same side and show the world that our democracy supporting our American enterprise system is what made the U.S. dynamic, diverse, and strong.

Competition for talent will increase in the coming years as companies continue to try and address the worker shortage. This crisis contributes to supply chain disruptions and rising inflation, undermining business growth and threatening our economic recovery. Lawmakers and business leaders should work together to find solutions, ensuring the U.S. is attracting top global talent and helping sidelined workers return to the job market.