Chamber of Commerce Spent over $50 Million Pushing Amnesty, Common Core in 2013

Chamber of Commerce Spent over $50 Million Pushing Amnesty, Common Core in 2013

on Wed, 22 Jan 2014

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent more than $50 million on lobbying efforts last year and will surpass that this year as it ramps up its efforts on amnesty, Common Core, and the destruction of the Tea Party that is opposed to both measures. 

According to disclosure reports, the Chamber of Commerce spent about $52.7 million last year, and much of that was spent on what has been described as the "top legislative priority for the business community"--amnesty for illegal immigrants. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined that the pathway to citizenship provision in immigration reform legislation would lower the wages of American workers.

In 2014, Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue said the group would be pulling out "all the stops" to try and pass amnesty. In addition, the group will reportedly spend $50 million to try to crush the Tea Party in the midterm elections, largely because the movement has fiercely been opposed to amnesty. During his "State of American Business" address this month, Donohue also said the Chamber "significantly supports" Common Core, as well, and will be looking to push Common Core programs. 

"Of course the states should adopt and implement the Common Core educational standards, which the Chamber significantly supports," Donohue declared.

As Breitbart's Dr. Susan Berry has extensively documented, the Chamber of Commerce partnered with left-wing labor unions on amnesty, and it has joined with teachers' unions and the Obama administration to push Common Core.

After the group recently asked its Twitter followers to support Common Core, angry followers lashed out by making the Chamber know that they think the Common Core is "worse than socialism" and "is a cancer that will eat every child who is exposed to the Marxist teachings."

"Hell NO!!" one responder tweeted. "What makes you think a bunch of crony bureaucrats are the best to design and implement any kind of education program?"

#CommonCore will help students develop skills employers need the most! https://t.co/x6s9pnzj9T

— U.S. Chamber (@USChamber)January 9, 2014

According to The Hill, the Chamber spent nearly $104 million on lobbying efforts in 2012, and it will likely spend significantly more in 2014 than the $50 million it did in 2013 to lobby for issues like amnesty and Common Core.