U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The United States needs a major upgrade to its infrastructure—roads, bridges, ports, electrical grids and broadband--to keep up with its newly booming economy.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is strongly lobbying to tweak – not trash – the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA.) And it’s not just transport companies who are leading the charge within the Chamber, U.S. Business Roundtable and other Washington lobbyist heavyweights. But since the talks opened in August, the Trump administration – to the chagrin of many trucking executives – has been playing hardball in its “America First” approach to the negotiations.

Supply chain efficiency is becoming the key operational differentiator for companies competing in a worldwide market place that increasingly is ignoring traditional borders and limitations. Every dollar and every minute small businesses spend on the supply chain helps make every link in that supply chain more durable.

Congress should put aside its philosophical differences and make a long-deferred investment in transportation infrastructure through a “dime or two” per-gallon increase in the federal fuel tax, which should be made more politically palatable by more accurately referring to it as a “user fee” rather than a tax.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will make a major push this election year to push Congress to pass multi-year surface transportation funding programs that are due to expire at the end of the September, the nation’s top business lobbyist vowed Wednesday.

The nation faces a balancing act between the need to spend more on infrastructure while finally addressing the ballooning national debt, which the nation’s top business lobbyist calls the biggest single threat to the U.S. economic future.

The nation faces a demographic crisis that is creating a drastic need to reform retiree and health care entitlements that is affecting the nation’s financial health, a top business lobbyist is predicting.

The recent news pertaining to the United States Commerce Department’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness is clearly a positive one for all supply chain stakeholders.

The U.S. economy is “superbly positioned” for a “new era of growth” as it emerges from three years of economic doldrums, but must make key decisions and investments to take advantage of the rebound, America’s top business lobbyist is predicting for 2012.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue said the nation must spend more on infrastructure and mildly endorsed the need to increase the federal fuel tax, which stands at18.4 cents on gasoline, 23.4 cents on diesel and has been unchanged since 1993.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives could “flip” in favor of the Democrats, especially if the presidential race turns into a cakewalk for President Barack Obama. That’s the word from U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue, who delivered the keynote at the 25th annual meeting of the North American Transportation Employee Relations Association.

Washington finally seems semi-serious about infrastructure. There are dueling bills circulating on Capitol Hill, with Senate Democrats favoring a two-year, $109 billion proposal and House Republicans offering a six-year, $230 billion deal to replace the six-year, $286 billion transportation funding law that expired 23 months ago.