chamber of commerce leader issues upbeat report on economy, combined with worries about increased washington rancor

The economy as the nation heads into a new decade has never been stronger or more resilient, maintains Thomas Donahue, the chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

But in a new address to Chamber members, Donahue expressed concerns about the impact the 2020 campaign year will have on getting things done in Washington.

“2020 will be a year of frantic activity,” said Donahue. “The high drama of impeachment continues to unfold, and once that gets resolved, we can get back to politics, politics, politics.”

Donahue acknowledged that it is typically difficult to secure passage of meaningful legislation in Washington during a presidential election year.

Such meaningful legislation in 2020, the CEO added, should address itself to the “infrastructure deal we desperately need to modernize the physical platform of this economy.”

Donahue also pointed to “the reforms to our immigration system to ensure businesses have the workers they need,” as well as legislation that can “help address climate change through innovation and investment.”
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The Chamber leader expressed optimism that Washington will tackle business-related legislation this year, despite the pressures of impeachment and the coming election, noting that in a hyper partisan 2019 and early 2020, Congress passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, while also repealing the Health Insurance Tax and providing new retirement options for small businesses.

“This tells us there are lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who are committed to doing the nation’s business,” said Donahue.

​By Garry Boulard

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