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☆ Biden administration faces onslaught of lawsuits as business groups claim regulatory overreach
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Megan Cassella | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

They argued that the FTC lacked the authority to impose it in the first place. The playbook is becoming a familiar one: The Biden administration finalizes a new rule regulating business, and the Chamber and industry lobbying groups immediately sue to stop it by arguing that the agency has overstepped its authority. So far this year, the administration has finalized seven rules, addressing everything from independent contractors to credit card late fees and climate disclosure requirements, only to see them met with near-immediate lawsuits by the Chamber and other groups. Officials at both the Chamber and ABA emphasize that litigation is always a last resort. But they see it as a necessary step when agencies issue regulations that go outside the scope of their authority.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Biden, finalizes, Joe Biden's, Trump, Obama's, It's, Neil Bradley Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, FTC, Chamber, American Bankers Association, ABA, CNBC Locations: U.S, Washington

☆ FTC bans employers from using noncompete clauses
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday voted to ban for-profit US employers from making employees sign agreements with noncompete clauses. And – with one exception – it makes currently existing noncompete agreements unenforceable after the rule’s effective date, which is set at 120 days from the rule’s publication in the Federal Register. The rule, however, does allow currently existing noncompete agreements for senior executives to remain in force. The ban would apply nationwide, overriding state laws regarding noncompete agreements. In December of last year, New York State Governor Kathleen Hochul vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature to completely ban noncompete agreements in that state.

Persons: Joe Biden, “ won’t, ”, Stefanie Camfield, Daryl Joseffer, “, ” Joseffer, Neil Bradley, Kathleen Hochul, Anne Clark, Vladeck, Raskin, Clark P.C, Amanda Wait, DLA Piper, Clark Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, of Commerce, Federal Register, Washington , D.C, Engage, Chamber’s Litigation, New York Locations: New York, California, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Washington ,, Colorado , Maryland , Oregon, Rhode

☆ Why are prices still so high? Corporate greed, some say.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

While supply chain problems and high demand may have helped spur inflation early in the pandemic, Rosolino believes there’s another key reason why prices have soared and remained high: Corporate greed. It’s corporate greed.”Nick Rosolino feels businesses won't lower their prices as long as consumers keep spending. “Too many corporations raise prices to pad their profits, charging more and more for less and less,” Biden said. Companies are typically slower to reduce their prices when costs decline than they are to raise prices when their expenses jump. Corporate profits have contributed to inflation, though experts differ on the extent.

Persons: Nick Rosolino, Rosolino, there’s, ”, “ It’s, Nick Rosolino Reluctantly, Joe Biden, “, ” Biden, Cookie Monster, Lael Brainard, Goldman Sachs, Neil Bradley, Heather Vargas, ” Vargas, ” Heather Vargas, Heather Vargas Vargas, –, Kellogg, Gary Pilnick’s, Companies haven’t, Aaron Hackman, McKinley Conner, Aaron Hackman “, Hackman Organizations: CNN, America, White, Economic Council, Federal Reserve, Companies, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, US Chamber of Commerce, of Labor Statistics, “ Locations: Maine, New Gloucester , Maine, Portland, Heights , California, Fort Lauderdale , Florida

☆ Defeating inflation without high unemployment is still unlikely
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And the US economy’s surprising resilience, despite 11 rate hikes, has raised hopes of a soft landing becoming a reality. “I’ve always thought that the soft landing was a plausible outcome, that there was a path to a soft landing,” he said. But historical records show that a soft landing has only occurred once in the 1990s, or perhaps even a handful of times. The US Commerce Department releases its final estimate of second-quarter gross domestic product. The US Commerce Department releases August data on household income, spending, and the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge.

Persons: it’s, Jerome Powell, Powell, “ I’ve, ”, “, Powell’s, ” “ Jerome Powell, ” Quincy Krosby, Krosby, ” Krosby, Matt Egan, ” Neil Bradley, “ We’ve, Read, Christine Lagarde, Michelle Bowman, Austan Goolsbee, Lisa Cook, John Williams Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Fed, LPL, CNN, Corporate, US Chamber of Commerce, European Central Bank, Costco, Global, Board, Survey, US Commerce Department, Micron, Nike, US Labor Department, National Association of Realtors, Carnival Corp, University of Michigan, New York Fed, China’s National Bureau of Statistics Locations: Washington

☆ Corporate America to DC: Don’t shut down the government
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Nobody wins in a government shutdown,” said one executive at a business group who requested anonymity to speak candidly. ‘It’s not good for business’A shutdown may not be an especially dramatic event for the stock market or deal a sizable blow to GDP. It’s not good for business – or consumer confidence,” another trade group executive told CNN. It’s unfortunate.”Markets usually don’t careWall Street is not overly worried about the potential damage to the economy at large nor the stock market. During half of those shutdowns, the stock market posted positive returns.

Persons: ” Neil Bradley, “, ”, “ We’ve, ’, Chuck Robbins, Robbins, ‘ It’s, Geoff Freeman, Bradley, it’s, Mitch McConnell, shutdowns, ” Bradley, “ It’s, Keith Lerner, Goldman Sachs, couldn’t Organizations: New York CNN Business, Corporate, US Chamber of Commerce, CNN, Cisco, US Travel Association, US Travel, ”, Federal Reserve, Labor Statistics, Publicly, Democrats, Privately, GOP, House GOP, Republicans, Chamber, Advisory, Commerce Locations: Washington

☆ Corporations say they have a new No. 1 risk, and they're spending big to defeat it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The Q3 survey of corporate finance chiefs finds a sharp rise in CFOs pointing to government regulation as the biggest risk factor for their business. From Q1 to Q3 2023, the percentage of CFOs saying government regulation is their biggest risk jumped from roughly 6% to 40%. This quarter, only 10% of CFOs cited inflation, while the 40% who pointed to regulation represented a more than doubling quarter over quarter. watch nowFor the business community's biggest advocacy group, getting back to normal also means confronting a new normal. "The emergence of government policy as risk relative to other risks has been growing substantially over the past decade."

Persons: Mark Wilson, Trump, Sanjay Patnaik, Neil Bradley, Patnaik, Obama, Biden, Bradley, it's, Dan Clifton, we've, It's, UnitedHealth —, Cisco's, Clifton, Lina Khan, She's Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Getty, CNBC, CNBC Global, Federal Trade Commission, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Brookings Institute, Corporate, industrials, Corporations, ., Apple, market's, Union, EU, Horizon Therapeutics, Activision Locations: WASHINGTON, DC, Washington ,, Covid, Russia, Ukraine, China, U.S

☆ Harvard Law's Sharon Block: Getting a fair contract is best both for the economy & Biden's politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHarvard Law's Sharon Block: Getting a fair contract is best both for the economy & Biden's politicsSharon Block, Harvard Law School professor and former National Labor Relations Board member member, and Neil Bradley, U.S. Chamber of Commerce EVP and chief policy officer, join 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest in UAW strike, what the key sticking points are for both sides, and more.

Persons: Sharon, Sharon Block, Neil Bradley Organizations: Harvard, Harvard Law School, National Labor Relations, Chamber, Commerce, UAW Locations: U.S

☆ Top regulators defend stricter merger guidelines, call 'hysteria' overblown
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Two of the nation's top corporate regulators on Thursday defended new guidelines on merger enforcement that have attracted pushback from the business community. "Which mergers go through and which ones do not can be hugely consequential for people's lives," Lina Khan, Federal Trade Commission chair said at an event hosted by the nonprofit American Economic Liberties Project. Khan was joined at the event by Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's antitrust division. "I think a lot of the hysteria is perhaps overblown, that we're not blocking every merger," Kanter said. The draft guidelines were released jointly by the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department's Antitrust Division in July.

Persons: Antitrust Jonathan Kanter, Lina Khan, Khan, Jonathan Kanter, Kanter, There's, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Neil Bradley, Bradley Organizations: Antitrust, Federal Trade, American Bar Association Antitrust, Marriott Marquis, Washington , D.C, WASHINGTON —, Federal Trade Commission, American Economic Liberties, Justice, Justice Department's Antitrust, Albertsons, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, DOJ, FTC Locations: Washington ,

☆ FTC chair defends track record on antitrust challenges, says big isn't categorically bad
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"Congress, when passing the antitrust statutes, was setting out a policy preference, in many cases, for competition over monopoly," Khan said. "Any given year, the antitrust agencies get anywhere between 1,500 to 3,000 merger filings. Of that number, 98% go through without even any second questions being asked by the agencies," Khan said. Khan also defended the agency's record in court when it comes to merger cases. That's in part because the Supreme Court hasn't taken up merger cases as frequently in recent decades, meaning "that older law is still good law."

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, Neil Bradley, hasn't, FTCs Organizations: Energy, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Trade, Economic, of New, FTC, Department of Justice, Division, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, CNBC, YouTube, Big Tech Locations: Rayburn, of New York

June 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Friday sued the federal government, challenging a new law that for the first time gives Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. In a complaint filed in federal court in Dayton, Ohio, the chamber said the pricing program violated drugmakers' due process rights under the U.S. Constitution by giving the government "unfettered discretion" to dictate maximum prices. Other drugmakers have also objected to the pricing program, which is part of last year's Inflation Reduction Act. The chamber also warned that allowing the pricing program would set a bad precedent. The case is Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce et al v Becerra et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, No.

Persons: Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Neil Bradley, Becerra, Jonathan Stempel, Bill Berkrot Organizations: U.S . Chamber, Commerce, U.S, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, Medicare, Medicaid Services, Merck & Co, CMS, Merck, Dayton Area, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: Dayton , Ohio, Washington ,, Dayton, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Ohio, New York

☆ US Chamber of Commerce argues invoking 14th Amendment would be as ‘economically calamitous’ as a default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and other progressives to urge the White House to use the 14th Amendment to avoid a disastrous default. Bradley argued that invoking the 14th Amendment would send Treasury rates spiking, lifting the cost of borrowing for families and businesses. Experts have warned that invoking the 14th Amendment would likely spark a constitutional crisis and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently cast doubt on the idea. US markets turned negative on Friday on news that debt ceiling negotiations between the White House and House Republicans have hit a snag. “If the rhetoric is dark next week, markets will start to react.

☆ Reaction to Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"There was an overwhelming consensus, I think, in today's meeting with the congressional leaders, that defaulting on the debt is simply not an option. We've got to find a way that we can curb our spending, raise our debt limit and also grow our economy. The president agreed to appoint a couple of people from his administration to sit down and negotiate directly with my team." NEIL BRADLEY, CHIEF POLICY OFFICER, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE"With just two weeks to go before hitting the debt limit, we are pleased to see the scope and structure of the negotiations narrow. We believe there is a path forward on a bipartisan deal that lifts the debt limit and makes important reforms to improve our nation's fiscal health."

☆ ‘Every family should be concerned’ about debt ceiling, consumer watchdog warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Every family should be concerned,” Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, told CNN in an interview on Thursday. If Congress fails to address the debt ceiling, the federal government could run out of money as soon as June 1, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. “A lot of things we assume are part of our financial fabric would get ripped away,” Chopra told CNN. The debt ceiling is very likely to be a focus next week when Yellen is scheduled to meet with leading bank CEOs in Washington at a trade association meeting. Moody’s Analytics on Wednesday increased its probability of a breach of the debt ceiling to 10%, up from 5% previously.

☆ What Biden, McCarthy, McConnell said about the US debt ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said his chamber will not approve any deal that doesn't cut spending to address a growing budget deficit. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN"I had a productive meeting with congressional leadership about the path forward, to make sure America does not default on its debt." Biden also did not rule out eventually invoking the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, an untested approach that would seek to declare the debt limit unconstitutional. KEVIN MCCARTHY, SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES"Everybody in this meeting, reiterated the positions they were at. MITCH McCONNELL, SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER"We ought to have at least some restraint on our spending related to the debt ceiling, and this is not unusual.

☆ Biden, McCarthy divided over debt ceiling but talks continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Biden, McCarthy and the three other top congressional leaders were set to meet again on Friday. And he did not rule out eventually invoking the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, an untested approach that would seek to declare the debt limit unconstitutional. U.S. President Joe Biden hosts debt limit talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, May 9, 2023. Biden would agree to a separate discussion on the budget but not tied to the debt ceiling, the White House said. Stalemate in Washington over raising the U.S. debt limit raises the risk of fresh turmoil for markets.

☆ Premarket stocks: Wall Street is strangely calm about the debt ceiling. That could change this month
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Dire warnings about the economic chaos and catastrophe that will ensue if the US debt ceiling isn’t lifted soon abound. The debt ceiling crisis of 2011 caused Standard and Poor’s to downgrade US debt for the first time in history. Schwenkler says to expect “a lot more volatility” if debt ceiling issues don’t appear resolved by the last week of the month. By contrast, recovery from a debt-default crisis would likely start the day Congress, belatedly, suspended the debt ceiling,” he added. “A misstep over the debt ceiling would subject businesses and consumers to an economic shockwave,” he added.

☆ Biden, McCarthy divided over debt ceiling but still talking
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Biden called the meeting “productive” and reported that McCarthy said during the meeting that the U.S. would not default on its debt. U.S. President Joe Biden hosts debt limit talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, May 9, 2023. Biden would agree to a separate discussion on the budget but not tied to the debt ceiling, the White House said. Prices for short-term Treasury bills fell on Tuesday as investors sold off debt that could come due around the time the U.S. debt limit could be hit. Stalemate in Washington over raising the U.S. debt limit raises the risk of fresh turmoil for markets.

☆ Quotes: What Biden, McCarthy, McConnell said about the US debt ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said his chamber will not approve any deal that doesn't cut spending to address a growing budget deficit. KEVIN MCCARTHY, SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES"Everybody in this meeting, reiterated the positions they were at. "We explicitly asked speaker McCarthy would he take default off the table? MITCH McCONNELL, SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER"We ought to have at least some restraint on our spending related to the debt ceiling, and this is not unusual. "The Republican House majority's shameful default bill is completely unworkable.

House Freedom Caucus members, who want to shrink the role of government, are demanding reductions in government spending. The Freedom Caucus members also raised significant sums from larger donors and traditional political fundraising committees. Unlike other congressional caucuses, the House Freedom Caucus doesn't disclose its membership, a practice that began in 2015. While McCarthy has pledged that the government won't default, the Republicans' narrow 222-212 majority has given outsized power to the Freedom Caucus. 'I AIN'T LISTENING'Freedom Caucus members are among the most conservative members of Congress, according to their voting records.

☆ McCarthy, Scalise go to war with U.S. Chamber after group backed some Democrats in 2020 and 2022 elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

McCarthy's refusal to meet with the Chamber is the latest strike in an ongoing feud between some House Republican members and the Chamber of Commerce. Tim Doyle, a spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce, told CNBC in a statement that the group's policies are more in line with House Republicans than Democrats. Representatives for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., did not return requests for comment. McCarthy's ire against the Chamber started after the group endorsed 23 House Democrats in the 2020 election cycle when Republicans failed to regain the majority. The Chamber reportedly endorsed 23 House Republican candidates and four Democrats during the 2022 election fight.

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media after his arrival to the White House in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2023. The White House says it will only discuss future spending cuts after the debt ceiling is raised. Biden will call on McCarthy to release a budget plan in the meeting and to commit to support the nation's debt obligations, according to a White House memo seen by Reuters. The White House has said it would release its budget proposal on March 9. House Republicans, meanwhile, will aim to produce their budget proposal in April, said House Republican Leader Steve Scalise.

☆ Veterans of 2011 U.S. debt-ceiling fight see tougher battle ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Andy Sullivan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

As in 2011, Republicans aim to pair this year's debt-ceiling hike with sharp spending cuts to narrow annual budget deficits that have ballooned in recent years due to tax cuts and COVID-19 relief. 2 House Republican spent hours with Biden trying to find a solution, said the president's no-negotiations stance may prove unsustainable. Any agreement that emerges from that chamber will need bipartisan support, which could prove difficult for a Republican House majority to accept. Some House Republicans protested when McConnell in December 2021 cut a deal to raise the debt ceiling and avoid default. "That's what things like the debt ceiling are built for - they're forcing mechanisms that create an artificial deadline," he said.

☆ Debt ceiling fight threatens to deepen divide between GOP and corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON — Corporate America’s warnings of a financial catastrophe if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling are falling on deaf ears among key congressional Republicans who find themselves increasingly at odds with the party's longtime allies. Republicans, who for decades closely aligned with the business community, have largely downplayed the alarm bells sounded by business groups, corporate CEOs and Wall Street investors over the economic consequences of missing an early June deadline for action on Capitol Hill. Instead, many GOP lawmakers vow to seek spending cuts in exchange for passing legislation that would let the U.S. government keep paying its bills. “The business groups and the major economic agents in this country are still going to be very influential by once again reminding Congress about the severe consequences the U.S. will face if the debt ceiling is not raised,” said the political consultant with corporate clients involved in the debt ceiling debate. “I think a lot of Republicans in the House, in the Senate, will understand that.

☆ U.S. Chamber of Commerce threatens to sue the FTC over proposed ban on noncompete clauses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Signage is seen on the Chamber Of Commerce Building in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 21, 2021. A major business advocacy group has pledged to sue the Federal Trade Commission if it acts on a proposal to ban noncompete clauses in worker contracts — an issue that has bipartisan support among lawmakers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents some 3 million businesses, is prepared to sue if the FTC continues to push for a proposal that prohibits companies from imposing noncompete clauses on employees, President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark told reporters Thursday. The Chamber called the proposal "blatantly unlawful" and ignorant of established state laws where "noncompete agreements are an important tool in fostering innovation and preserving competition." Banning noncompete agreements is "clearly authority that (the FTC doesn't) have and no one has ever thought that they had," Bradley said.

The lawsuit marks a major escalation of tensions between the industry and the consumer watchdog, which industry groups say has repeatedly overstepped its mandate under President Joe Biden's director Rohit Chopra. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe groups said the agency does not have the legal authority to make that change. Certain financial products, like no-fee checking accounts, could be seen as discriminatory using a disparate impact analysis, the Chamber said. "The CFPB is attempting to pretend that they are Congress and impose new theories of disparate impact through an extra-legal process," Bradley said. The Chamber was joined in the lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Texas, by the American Bankers Association and Consumer Bankers Association, among other state groups.

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