I spoke to Sam Brodey of the Daily Beast for his piece on the frosty relationship between the US Chamber of Commerce and congressional Republicans and what impact those dynamics might have on the debt limit fight.
In Washington lobbying circles, there’s not much heartburn over what the GOP’s anti-Chamber moment could mean for its posture on the debt limit.
“This GOP majority has a genuine populist streak that informs their pugilistic pose on the debt limit,” said Liam Donovan, a Republican lobbyist. “But even as they’re less receptive to the corporate community than ever, the bulk of the conference understands the grave economic consequences of a default scenario.”
Donovan argued that while the Chamber might be in the “political penalty box,” lawmakers will be moved by business owners in their districts, many of whom are involved in local chambers of commerce with links to the national organization.
“When it gets to be crunch time, you can bet Main Street will pick up the slack,” he said.
Read the full piece here.