House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., heard from Texas and Arizona business community leaders recently about the threat to economic growth posed by government overreach and regulation.
A joint delegation of the Texas Association of Business and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry met with the two pro-business congressional leaders in Washington last week, discussing issues like overly stringent EPA rules, how the federal government stymies the development of new energy sources, and the debt ceiling.
“The American business community is incredibly fortunate that Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise are leading the House,” TAB President and CEO Glenn Hamer said. “Job creators couldn’t ask for two better leaders to promote a free-market agenda that supports innovation, competition, and growth.”
Arizona Chamber President and CEO Danny Seiden said the two congressional leaders have a firm grasp on how an overreaching federal government can negatively affect economic development, citing the example of onerous EPA air quality regulations that could thwart the ability of manufacturers to expand in Arizona.
“Overly aggressive EPA regulations put our states’ ability attract and grow jobs at serious risk,” Seiden said. “Speaker McCarthy and Leader Scalise know that states like Arizona and Texas are driving this economy, thanks in large part to the work we’ve done to create pro-business regulatory environments that have made it easier and more attractive for manufacturers and job creators to grow and thrive. Issuing stricter standards would hurt the economy and potentially discourage future investments, including in the types of clean energy projects needed to address climate change. We appreciated the opportunity to visit with two leaders who clearly understand that meddlesome federal bureaucracy can snuff out jobs.”
Hamer said the meeting with McCarthy and Scalise was a perfect complement to TAB meetings with several members of the Texas delegation, including Rep. Roger Williams, Rep. Michael McCaul, and Rep. Kay Granger, who chair the House Small Business, Foreign Affairs, and Appropriations committees, respectively.
“Four members of the Texas congressional delegation chair committees, which is great news for the Texas business community,” Hamer said. “The Texas delegation is working hard to pursue policies that drive economic growth. Texas members of Congress are working shoulder-to-shoulder with Speaker McCarthy and Leader Scalise to put the brakes on an administration that too often would tie up our job creators in red tape.”
Hamer and Seiden said the two groups stressed in the dozens of meetings they had on Capitol Hill what Texas and Arizona are doing to attract jobs, including from the semiconductor industry. Hamer and Seiden said the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act, which is designed to spur domestic semiconductor production, is poised to be a shot of adrenaline for their state and national economies.
“Our two states are already winning huge investments in the semiconductor space. If I had to bet on two states whose future in semiconductor manufacturing is the brightest, I’d bet on Texas and Arizona,” Hamer said.
Seiden agreed, saying the feedback he’s gotten from chipmakers has been very positive.
“Speaker McCarthy and Leader Scalise are well aware of what states like Arizona and Texas are doing to attract advanced manufacturers with good-paying jobs,” he said. “We look forward to working with them to help advance these sorts of policies at a national level to grow jobs and strengthen our country’s international competitiveness.”
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