Over the past 18 months, America has experienced unprecedented tumult: a global pandemic, an economic recession, a contentious presidential election, the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol, and restrictive voting laws in multiple states. The U.S. has seen a decline in quality of life since 2011, according to a rigorous analysis from the Social Progress Index. The American Dream we have long cherished is at risk. And despite continued economic growth, the environment for business has eroded.
Business Leaders Must Take Action on Climate and Voting Rights
In the past few months, the Business Roundtable has sent a clear message to Washington with a successful multi-million dollar campaign to push back on corporate tax increases. But while companies are messaging around societal issues like climate change, racial equity, and voting rights, they are not backing their words up with action, particularly now, when we are presented with a once-in-a-decade opportunity to support federal legislation addressing these challenges. The authors recommend that 1) the Business Roundtable lead a large-scale campaign to support the most ambitious climate provisions in the Biden administration’s proposed budget, and 2) that the business community support critical legislation to shore up U.S. voting and election systems.