U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) holds a news conference in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, February 2, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
The two highest-ranking Republican leaders in the House of Representatives are going to war with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the new Congress takes shape.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise are both refusing to meet with the the Chamber after the lobbying group endorsed a handful of Democrats in the past two elections, clearly making an enemy of the powerful congressional leaders.
“The priorities of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have not aligned with the priorities of House Republicans or the interests of their own members, and they should not expect a meeting with Speaker McCarthy as long as that’s the case,” Mark Bednar, a chief spokesman for McCarthy, told CNBC in a statement.
Scalise also won’t meet with the Chamber, according to spokeswoman Lauren Fine.
“Washington has radically shifted away from the pro-business philosophy of most local Chambers across America,” she said. Fine also took aim at the Chamber’s move to endorse Democrats running for House seats and said that “unless the Chamber gets back to their traditional pro-business roots, they should not expect to have any engagement with Majority Leader Scalise’s office.”
Denying the Chamber access could also prompt other House Republicans to block the nation’s largest business organization.
The Chamber has continued to actively lobby Capitol Hill despite the ongoing battle with top Republicans. The group spent just under $21 million on lobbying in the fourth quarter of last year alone, according to its latest disclosure report. The form shows they lobbied lawmakers in the House and Senate, as well as Biden White House officials, on a wide variety of bills, including new tax proposals as well as U.S. aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
McCarthy’s refusal to meet with the Chamber is the latest strike in an…
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