Published
July 24, 2025
In July, House Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise said, “We want to see permitting reform this fall,” and that it must be a bipartisan effort. We wholeheartedly agree. Our permitting process is broken, and we’re excited to help support fixing it.
For the last several years, the Chamber and our Permit America to Build coalition of nearly 350 organizations from every corner of the country and every sector of our economy have been delivering the message that America cannot afford to wait any longer to modernize its broken permitting system. Businesses are ready and willing to innovate, invest, and build, but we need a permitting system that will help, not hinder, those efforts.
From highways and housing to energy, infrastructure, and broadband expansion, the ability to build is being stifled by a tangled and inefficient permitting process. Projects that should be approved in months are delayed for years, burdened by excessive reviews, interagency gridlock, and legal uncertainty. What used to be a low bureaucratic hurdle has now become a major barrier to economic growth, energy security, and environmental progress.
The Chamber’s Permit America to Build initiative calls for a comprehensive permitting reform package guided by four principles: predictability, efficiency, transparency, and stakeholder input.
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The good news: These principles are not only nonpartisan but also realistic and practical. They reflect the urgent need to streamline permitting to address delays, reduce costs, and enable the timely construction of critical infrastructure, fostering economic growth while delivering community benefits.
Momentum is building. Bipartisan interest in reform is growing, with lawmakers from both sides recognizing that permitting delays hurt all sectors—from expanding ports and connecting clean energy to the grid, to improving safety and reducing congestion on highways.
Congress must enact durable, comprehensive reform that applies across sectors and withstands political shifts. This is a pivotal moment to address critical challenges, such as energy security, the global AI race, and economic competitiveness, building the infrastructure needed to accelerate our nation’s future, unlock opportunities, and drive economic growth.
We’re encouraged by Leader Scalise’s comments, and we are working with other Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who share it. We will work with lawmakers to craft solutions that deliver results for businesses, communities, and the environment.
Join us: Let’s build the future—faster, smarter, and together.
About the author
Chad Whiteman
Chad S. Whiteman is vice president for environment and regulatory affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute.
