The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on President Obama’s State of the Union address:
“We have repeatedly called on Congress and President Obama to make the economy and job creation their top priority, so we are very pleased to see these goals emphasized by the President. There are many issues on the national agenda, but with our economy still struggling to recover, the most pressing need for the millions of Americans who remain out of work is a job.
“As the industry that supports one out of every four U.S. jobs, retail is doing its part to put America back to work, but we cannot do it alone. We need Washington to pass laws that boost job creation and to repeal laws and red tape that stand in the way. That means putting an end to uncertainty on fiscal policy that cripples consumer confidence and long-term business planning, adoption of tax reform that will make U.S. companies more competitive, removal of outdated restraints on trade, and a moratorium on mandates that drive up the cost of adding workers to the payroll.
“Retailers aren’t asking for any special help to create retail jobs. We’re asking for an emphasis on job creation regardless of industry or sector of the economy. Jobs are good for America, and a working America is good for every industry.”
In the past several weeks, NRF has proposed principles for tax reform that would boost the economy and job creation, urged lawmakers to make jobs their top priority, and warned that short-term fixes for the deficit should not be allowed to undermine long-term tax reform that will help create jobs.
As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF represents retailers of all types and sizes, including chain restaurants and industry partners, from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.
