The US Chamber of Commerce is of the opinion that the only reason the Republican Party won the midterm elections last month is because of the Chamber’s endorsement; now, it is telling the party to support immigration reform or see its support withdrawn.
The Chamber wants more economic deals for big business, extra funding for transportation, and comprehensive immigration reform. Tom Donohue, the chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce, says that there are two years left for the Republican Party to start making changes to its policy or face losing its majority. Immigration reform is now the Chamber’s top priority, with Donohue saying that it could quickly pass a bill if it wanted to.
The Chamber of Commerce played a vital role in the midterm election campaigns, with one official saying that the organization invested more than $70m to help the candidates it wanted to see get into office. 249 of the 268 candidates that the Chamber endorsed this year succeeded in their bids.
Public opinion polls also indicate an agreement among the great majority of Americans with Donohue’s statement that “People want Congress and the Senate to govern”. Surveys now strongly suggest that the electorate wants lawmakers to reach a compromise over controversial issues such as US immigration reform ‒ more so than four years ago in 2010 when the Republican Party gained power in the House of Representatives thanks to the Tea Party.