On January 7, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce held a Day of Action on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to prioritize permitting reform as Congress began its new session. The event brought together business leaders and legislators to advocate for changes aimed at streamlining the nation’s permitting process.
The Day of Action is part of the U.S. Chamber’s Permit America to Build initiative, which seeks to address concerns that outdated permitting procedures delay projects, increase costs, and create uncertainty for businesses. According to Sen. Shelly Moore Capito, Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, permitting reform can “make America the manufacturing, the infrastructure, the space, the telecommunications, the housing, champion of the world.”
This push follows recent legislative activity in December when the House passed several bills—including the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act and Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act—intended to accelerate project approvals and reduce delays. Attention now turns to the Senate for a comprehensive bipartisan proposal.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) described permitting reform as “the most important work I think I’ve ever done,” emphasizing that an updated process would help build projects more quickly with greater certainty.
Lawmakers also highlighted how delays affect public infrastructure spending. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) said: “All these delays are costing the taxpayer money. We can build roads, and bridges and infrastructure, and we can harvest our natural resources in a responsible way.”
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and lead sponsor of the SPEED Act, noted: “if we’re going to keep building things in our country, then we must reform our broken permitting process with a legislative solution. You’ll greatly decrease the cost of living for American families as permitting delays cost our economy billions of dollars each year.”
Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at the U.S. Chamber, stated: “We want to see real progress over the next several weeks. We want to see legislation moving. We want to see something sent to the President’s desk.”
Afterward, business and trade association leaders met with Congressional offices to discuss why they believe prompt action on permitting reform is needed.
The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is an organization based in Gilbert, Arizona that supports local businesses through advocacy efforts such as promoting pro-business policies and convening stakeholders for change (official website). The chamber provides networking opportunities and resources designed to foster economic growth (official website). Its foundation focuses on education initiatives and leadership development within Gilbert (official website).
