U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a powerful business lobbying group in the United States that “has become a fully functional part of the partisan Republican machine” since CEO and president Thomas J. Donohue took office in 1997. Prior to Donohue’s tenure, the Chamber “used to be a trade association that advocated in a bipartisan manner for narrowly tailored policies to benefit its members.” [1] The Chamber’s 2010 budget is approximately $200 million, but as a trade organization, its donors can remain anonymous. [2]
According to its website, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce "has one overarching mission—to strengthen the competitiveness of the U.S. economy.[3] It describes itself as “the world’s largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.”[4]
Despite these claims, the New York Times reported in October 2010 that half of the Chamber’s $140 million in contributions in 2008 came from just 45 big-money donors, many of whom enlisted the Chamber’s help to fight political and public opinion battles on their behalf (such as opposing financial or healthcare reforms, or other regulations). [2] The Chamber is “dominated by oil companies, pharmaceutical giants, automakers and other polluting industries,” according to James Carter, executive director of the Green Chamber of Commerce.[5]
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Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). It has been a member of the Civil Justice Task Force,[6] the Education Task Force,[7] the International Relations Task Force[8][9] and the Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force,[10] according to ALEC materials. According to an August 2013 ALEC board document obtained by The Guardian, its Campaign for Free Enterprise terminated its membership in ALEC’s Education Task Force on April 22, 2013. Its Institute for Legal Reform, however, had also been part of this task force, and was not listed as “lapsed” or “terminated.”[9]
Page Faulk, Vice President,[11] presented “The Promoting Merit in ‘Merit Selection’ Act” model legislation at Civil Justice Task Force Meeting at the 2011 meeting.[6] Stanton D. Anderson, Senior Counsel to the President and Chief Executive Officer,[12] issued remarks on the “Free Enterprise Education Act” model legislation, and Roberta Philips sponsored discussion and voting on the act, at the Education Task Force Meeting of the 2011 meeting.[7] Mark Elliot, Executive Vice President, and Andrew Kovalcin, Director of Stakeholder Advocacy, both of the Chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Center, introduced the “Resolution in Support of Federal Efforts to Address Rogue Internet Sites that Sell Counterfeit Products and Facilitate Digital Theft” at the Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force Meeting[10] and presented on the “Erosion of Intellectual Property” and introduced the “ALEC Resolution to Counter Rogue Internet Sites” model policy at the International Relations Task Force Meeting at the 2011 meeting.[8]
The Chamber’s International Division joined ALEC’s International Relations Task Force on July 3, 2013, according to ALEC board materials.[9]