Controlling spending and reforming Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are among the top priorities the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will address this year, Tom Donohue, the group's president and CEO, said in his annual “State of American Business” address Thursday in Washington.
As the organization celebrates its 100th anniversary, Donohue said the state of American business is improving, but it's doing so “weakly, slowly and insufficiently to put our nation back to work.” He then identified five priority areas the chamber will focus on this year: producing American energy and rebuilding the country's infrastructure; expanding trade, investment and tourism; advancing regulatory and legal reform; developing an innovation agenda; and, finally, controlling spending and reforming entitlements.