US Chamber of Commerce Prioritizes Economic Growth in Policy Push

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced an initiative to help lawmakers prioritize the country’s economic growth over political tussles, warning that future generations could miss out on a prosperous life owing to slower growth rates. The Chamber launched its “Growth and Opportunity Imperative” policy on Thursday that calls upon “candidates and elected officials to support policies that would achieve at least 3 percent annual real economic growth over the next decade—a 50 percent increase over current projections,” said a July 4 press release. Between 1950 and 2010, the United States averaged an annual real economic growth rate of 3.4 percent, even after factoring in recessions. Since 2010, the annual growth rate has dropped to 2.2 percent, with the rate projected to decline further to 1.8 percent in the coming decade, the Chamber said....