The Intersection of Business and Government
Business Leaders React to Congressional Republicans Disputing Biden’s Election
Several days before President Trump incited an insurrection by a mob of supporters to storm the Capitol, a number of American business leaders had called on Congress to certify Joe Biden’s electoral victory. In a letter to all members of congress the corporate executives publicly urged a smooth transition of power as President Trump and many Republican continued to dispute the election results.
The letter stated, “Attempts to thwart or delay this process run counter to the essential tenets of our democracy.” The letter was signed by business leaders including those of financial firm BlackRock, Inc., consultancy Deloitte, airline JetBlue Airways Corp. and pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than three million companies also urged Congress to certify Biden’s win.
The day after the insurrection, and subsequent congressional vote on approving the certified Electoral College results, these business leaders took a more severe tone in dealing with Republican members of congress who challenged the certified state results of the Electoral College.
A growing number of companies announced they were suspending campaign contributions to the eight Republican senators and 139 House Republicans who voted to overturn the results. The companies included Blue Cross Blue Shield, Commerce Bank, Marriott Hotels, and four of the nation’s largest banks — JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. A statement from Citigroup to its employees summed up its position this way: “We want you to be assured that we will not support candidates who do not respect the rule of law.” Blue Cross CEO simply stated it was suspending contributions to Republican lawmakers who “voted to undermine our democracy.”
I intend to revisit this subject in the future and check whether the business community continues its commitment to upholding the bedrock principles of our democracy.
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About The Author
Tom
Tom Coleman is a former Republican U.S. representative from Missouri. He has served as an adjunct professor at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and at American University.
This will be very meaningful should these business leaders and organizations follow through on their initial stated commitments to not financially support those candidates who refused to accept the election results. If they do follow through, this will definitely affect
where many Republican office holders and seekers stand on issues before them, and perhaps tend to move us all forward in this never ending battle to govern wisely and responsibly.