The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it supports congressional efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and will work to curb government regulation that the organization said poses the single biggest challenge to jobs, global competitiveness and the future of American enterprise.

That was the message Tuesday morning from Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—which represents more than 3 million American businesses—during his annual “State of American Business” address in Washington. Donohue said regulations at the federal level fill 150,000 pages of fine print and cost Americans $1.7 trillion a year. He cited the health reform law as one example, saying it creates 159 agencies, commissions, panels and other bodies and grants “extraordinary powers” to HHS.

“By mid-December, HHS had already granted 222 waivers to the law—a revealing acknowledgement that the law is unworkable,” Donahue said to a full audience in the Chamber's historic Hall of Flags public meeting room. “And, with key provisions under challenge in the courts by states and others, it's time in my opinion to go back to the drawing board.”

Bruce Josten, executive vice president at the Chamber, joined Donohue for a news conference after the speech and cited the law's 1099 provision and employer insurance mandate as some areas of concern for the organization and its members.

A vote on whether to repeal the Affordable Care Act had been scheduled for Wednesday in the House, but was postponed after the Jan. 8 shooting spree in Tucson, Ariz.