Texas Border Business
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
In a letter to Congress this week, the Chamber laid out the priorities for the business community for the rest of the year.
Why it matters: The current Congress has plenty of work to do before the new Congress arrives in January. This includes preventing a rail strike and tax increases, as well as passing much-needed permitting reform.
Be smart: The remaining work falls into two buckets: Items with January 3 deadlines, when the current Congressional session ends; and items that have made significant, often bipartisan, progress that would have to be restarted by the next Congress.
Items with Pre-January 3 deadlines:
· Prevent a rail strike
· Prevent stealth tax increases
· Finish the National Defense Authorization Act
· Pass full-year appropriations bills
· Extend the 737 Max certification deadline
Finish bipartisan action:
· Finalize permitting reform
· Combat organized retail theft
· Enact retirement security reforms
· Protect pregnant workers and employers
· Expand educational opportunities and close the skills gap
And: Certainty is needed on issues like the potential termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programs and an increase in the debt limit.
Bottom line: Congress should not lose the opportunity to produce much-needed results for American workers and job creators.
