Chamber Statement on the American Jobs Plan

Michigan and the United States need significant modernization for our aging infrastructure, and the Detroit Regional Chamber supports a generational infrastructure investment and applauds President Biden’s leadership in presenting an overdue infrastructure package to Congress. Modern physical and connective infrastructure is critical national competitiveness imperative.

There will be a cost to building the 21st century infrastructure system America needs, and neither party in Washington has demonstrated adequate concern for the exploding national debt. Therefore, serious consideration for how we pay for this investment is required. The Detroit Regional Chamber offers the following principles as this proposal is debated:

• Placing the costs of this historic investment exclusively on the back of businesses – that just recently had their tax rates reduced from among the highest in the industrialized world – would cause job losses and create a less competitive American economy.
• Spreading costs over more economic sectors, and exploring additional financing mechanisms, such as bonding, should be considered.
• The overall size of the proposal can be reduced to focus on the types of investments that will drive the greatest long-term economic impact.

Addressing our state and national infrastructure challenges is a bi-partisan priority. This is an opportunity for Washington to demonstrate to their fellow Americans that they can work together to achieve a bold path forward that also addresses the very real concerns about cost.

The Chamber will continue to be engaged on this issue and hopes to be able to support the final package once developed.”