The Vice President and Managing Director of Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce helped the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce wrap up the 2024 Executive Luncheon series.
Tim Monahan offered a glimpse into what he anticipates the first 100 days of the 119th Congress will look like on Capitol Hill as 2025 begins.
Up first will be the change in leadership, with Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) stepping in as the new Senate Majority leader. The first chore facing the Senate will be confirmation hearings for income President Trump’s cabinet.
Monahan anticipates, once housekeeping tasks are complete, Congress will turn its attention to regulations on energy programs. He focused on government regulations that impact large and small businesses.
“There is an authority that Congress has called the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress, by a simple majority, to overturn a regulation enacted by the executive branch, by the President,” he explained. “I would expect to see some deregulation action by Congress, but then, more broadly, looking further down the calendar, a lot of the regulations that have been coming out of the Biden administration over the last four years are going to be rolled back by the new administration for congressional action. But what we’re going to see is a shift from DC to many of the states.”
Monahan also expects much attention will be given to solving concerns about immigration, as well as reviewing the tax cuts that were enacted in 2017 and are scheduled to expire in 2025.
“It’s a broken immigration system that needs to be addressed, and part of that is securing the southern border, which President Trump and a lot of friendly members on both sides of the aisle have acknowledged needs to be addressed,” said Monahan. “A lot of people for many, many months have been talking about the fact that the current tax cuts enacted in 2017 are set to expire the end of next year, and conventional thinking had been post-election, that that is something that can get done in the first 100 days. It’s yet to be seen.”
Monahan also used his visit to present the Columbia County Chamber with an award acknowledging its recent 5-star Accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“The organization is an elite group of Chambers across the country. Out of nearly 7,000 Chambers across the United States, there are only 151 5-Star Chambers in the entire country, and only 12 in all of Georgia,” he said. “The 5-Star Accreditation designation reaffirms the great work of your staff and volunteers, and I’m pleased to recognize and celebrate the high-quality expertise and strong leadership displayed by the team at the Columbia County Chamber. As members, you can be assured that your investment is money well spent.”
In accepting the award, Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber, said it would not have been possible without the support of the Board of Directors.
“This was a process that really, truly started a year ago, and throughout the year, we had meetings with board members and staff members, and we sat in a room, and we went over page by page, question by question, each part of this application process,” he said. “It is a long process. We have a notebook that’s full of papers with the application, with samples of all the things that we’ve done.”
In the news release announcing the award, Raymond Towle, U.S. Chamber Vice President, Federation Relations and IOM, said the designation marks Chambers that are true leaders in their industry.
“This rigorous review includes all aspects of a Chamber’s policies, operations, and programming. When chambers of commerce earn the distinction of becoming Accredited, it is a mark of excellence for the organization, its staff, and its leadership. Accredited chambers are recognized for their ability to serve as a resource to their region’s businesses while maintaining transparent governance practices, sound financial controls, safe work environments, effective communications, and value in programming.”
Monahan said among the local Chamber’s accomplishments are its support for Fort Eisenhower and participation in the “Mega-Mixer.” The event brings together the Augusta Metro, Columbia County, North Augusta, Aiken, and Greater Augusta Black Chambers of Commerce, creating unity in the business community.
