U.S. Chamber’s Neil Bradley Warns of Government’s Pro-Business Disconnect

The 2023 Fall Conference in Austin kicked off with remarks from U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley, during which he shared his impressions of the current political state of play, and offered thoughts on how ideological extremists on both ends of the spectrum are jeopardizing hard-won progress.

Bradley began his remarks with a history lesson, asking attendees to imagine themselves at a conference in the early 1970s, when government regulation would have impacted much of the journey, from the cost of the flight to the price of a phone call home.

A half-century of deregulation gave consumers choices, lowering prices and setting the stage for free enterprise to flourish. “For the entire professional life of everyone in this room, the consensus on both the left and right has been that free enterprise is good,” he said. It is only within the last several years, Bradley argued, that fringe elements on both the left and right have gained ground in reverting to rules and regulations empowered to “bring business to heel.”

There has been a breakdown in the longstanding pro-business consensus and policies, Bradley said. “The era of deference to free markets is over.”

And that, he continued, is where the fight for the future will be waged – and it’s a fight that organizations such as ACEC and the Chamber must win.

Neil Bradley joined the Engineering Influence podcast to discuss the growing partisan divide and what this means for free enterprise. Watch the conversation on our YouTube Channel: