National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay congratulated the winners of Tuesday’s federal elections and pledged to work with President-elect Donald Trump and the new Congress on a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda:
“With the holiday season upon us, retailers are glad that this unprecedented election is over, along with the divisive rhetoric and the impact it had on consumers concerned about their future. It is time to bring all Americans together, working in a bipartisan fashion to address the pressing needs of the day.
“The next few months will offer many opportunities for us to educate lawmakers on our priorities, such as tax reform and investment in our nation’s infrastructure, as well as pro-growth policies that create jobs and reward capital investment. If this election taught us anything, it is the importance of focusing on policies and programs that not only benefit today’s economy, but the economy of the future and our next generation of workers.
“As President Trump begins staffing his administration, we are hopeful that pragmatism will prevail over ideology so that all branches of government can work together for the benefit of retailers, their associates, the consumers they serve and the communities where they live and work.”
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.