Donohue says Chamber will ‘deepen bench’ to fight ‘flood of new regulations’

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to bring on more staff to battle regulations in President Obama’s second term.

In his annual “State of American Business” speech on Thursday, Tom Donohue, the Chamber’s president and CEO, lamented “the coming flood of new regulations” being proposed by the Obama administration. That regulatory push is leading the Chamber to “deepen our bench,” according to the CEO, by adding legal and policy staff to push back against new rules.

Asked at a post-speech press conference whether the Chamber planned to increase its lobbying and political spending this year, Donohue simply answered: “Yes.”

“It's very simple. If the agenda gets bigger, the challenges get broader, if the demands get more significant, then you have to have the assets. We will grow our staff some, but we will also do very well by acquiring outside assistance and professionals that we can contract with,” Donohue said.

Donohue also suggested there will be more lawsuits coming from the Chamber. The business group has been in court several times opposing regulations from the Obama administration.

“If you have a significant increase in lawsuits, then you need some more support and management staff and a couple more lawyers,” Donohue said. “Yes, we will get stronger. We will get bigger.”

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