House Republicans will be inviting a dozen business leaders to President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress Thursday night in an attempt to highlight the real world impact of excessive regulations.
Among the attendees will be Henry Juszkiewicz, the CEO of Gibson Guitars, whose plant was raided by federal agents last month for allegedly using illegally imported wood.
“[They] put a real face on how these regulations impact business specifically,” House Speaker John Boehner told reporters Thursday morning.
The Obama administration has pledged to help the business community by ordering a government-wide review of existing regulations and cutting those deemed expendable. However, House Republicans claim that regulatory action currently under consideration by the White House could ultimately cost the U.S. economy over $100 billion.
Business leaders invited by the Speaker also include the Lisa Ingram, the Chief Operation Officer for the fast food chain White Castle and Rock Katschnig, a farmer who publicly urged President Obama during a town hall in Illinois to spare the agriculture from dust regulations.
President Obama will deliver his speech at 7:00pm. Although he will be addressing both chambers of Congress, numerous members have announced that they will not be attending. When asked what he thought Thursday about some Republican members’ decision to skip the speech, Boehner said that he had urged them to attend, but that the choice is up to them.
“Remember, I’m just the Speaker,” Boehner said.