Business, Labor Leaders Praise Obama Address

Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, both lauded President Barack Obama for advocating more spending on roads and bridges, The Caucus blog of The New York Times reports.

Tom Donohue

In a development comparable to the Hatfields and McCoys holstering weapons to shake hands, America’s leading business lobbyist and one of its biggest labor-union chiefs issued a friendly joint statement after Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

“America’s working families and business community stand united in applauding President Obama’s call to create jobs and grow our economy through investment in our nation’s infrastructure,” the harmonious press release said.

As The Caucus notes, “The chamber and the labor organization . . . are almost always on opposite ends of the philosophical divide about how to pursue economic prosperity.”