Big Business Delivers Christmas Wish List To Trump, 10 Months Early

On Thursday, President Trump met with leaders from 24 major U.S. companies including the CEOs of Merck & Co., Inc. MRK, Dow Chemical Co DOW and Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT, to discuss potential changes to federal business regulations. Ahead of the meeting, participants in the Business Roundtable sent Trump a list of regulations that they believe are currently most damaging to U.S. economic growth.

Related Link: Affordable Care Act Replacement Bill Leaked

Here’s a rundown of some of group’s top priorities:

• The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) requirement that coal-powered electric utilities be equipped with “carbon capture and control” systems.
• The EPA’s “Water of the United States” rule that places certain water bodies under federal jurisdiction for the purpose of preserving the safety of drinking water.
• The SEC rule that requires companies to disclose CEO pay as a ratio of employee pay.
• The SEC rule requiring companies to disclose products that contain “conflict minerals” from certain regions of Africa.
• The national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) rule limiting ground-level ozone levels.
• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements that impose administrative costs of all employers with at least 50 employees.
• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) employer-sponsored wellness plan standards that differ from the standards under the AC.
• The new Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) rule that doubles the annual salary threshold related to overtime pay eligibility to $47,476.

The full list of the topics the Business Panel discussed can be found here.