Americans want our government to grow the economy. Local businesses need it.

USA Today

31-01-2025

Suzanne Clark
Opinion contributor
If you want to understand the state of American business, just take a look around you. All American business is local because businesses must serve their customers where they live ‒ from the small businesses that line Main Streets in rural communities, to the farms and agriculture in the countryside, to the locally founded or headquartered businesses that employ hundreds or thousands of people.
Across our nation, there are many thriving regions whose vitality is propelled by local businesses. There are also too many areas that suffer from a lack of that economic vitality. Washington can help all these communities and have the biggest impact if policymakers do everything in their power to foster growth.
Opportunity and increases in standards of living flow from businesses operating in your community. This local footprint makes it possible for you to have things like your first job, the technology that allows you to access the internet, the food your family eats, the medicines you can pick up at the pharmacy, the energy that powers your home and vehicles, the bank account you use and the financing you need to start a business, and the global supply chains that allow you to have goods delivered to your doorstep.
Our local businesses need sound public policy
Local businesses and the opportunities they provide ensure communities can find their footing in challenging times or in the aftermath of a disaster. That's especially true in Los Angeles, where wildfires have brought about a tragic loss of lives, property and livelihoods.
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As Angelenos recover and take stock of what's needed in the days ahead, the business community will have an outsize role in restoring normalcy and rebuilding.
Think about what happens when these kinds of opportunities aren't readily available. Everyone knows about a community where crime crowds out commerce, where there are food deserts, where more people are leaving than laying down roots and building a future. There are too many communities that are left behind and never feel economic vitality and growth.
Smart public policy can make a difference.
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With the right policies, communities can become economically prosperous, welcoming diverse businesses of all sizes, reducing unemployment and building up a base of skilled workers, developing the infrastructure needed to reach global marketplaces, and encouraging businesses to innovate and expand.
Voters have made it clear: Economic growth is the priority
Growth won't solve all our problems or help communities boom overnight, but we can't make any progress without it. So we need more growth, and fast.
Looking at the big picture, projections show that the economy is on track to grow at or above 3% in 2025, and there is reason to be optimistic about the year ahead. This is good news for everyone because every single percentage point in economic growth makes a huge difference in people's standard of living. At 3% sustained growth, individuals born today will see America's economy double by the time they are in their 20s.
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No matter whom they voted for, the people signaled to Washington that they want more growth and opportunities for themselves and their families. That is the challenge going forward: How do we sustain robust economic growth, considering the demographic challenges and other headwinds facing the economy?
As our political leaders address issues such as tax policy, unbalanced regulations, trade and energy security, to name a few, they must remember that all policy is local, too. The decisions they make will have a very real impact on businesses and people far away from Washington.
We are at an important inflection point, and we are counting on the incoming administration and the 119th Congress to focus on growth. The business community is here to help policymakers get it right.
To that end, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce focused our 2025 State of American Business event around the idea that all business is local. We took the event out of Washington, D.C., for the first time ever, broadcasting from the Dallas-Fort Worth area ‒ a community that exemplifies the growth, innovation and opportunity possible in America's vibrant free enterprise system.
Every community has the potential to be a success story, and local businesses are eager to help make that potential a reality. Growth and opportunity are what all of us want, what Americans everywhere deserve, and what our future demands.
Suzanne Clark is the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.