Retailers Crave Normal; Urge Debt Ceiling Agreement

Washington DC - “Retailers have managed their way through demand shocks, workforce disruptions, supply chain bottlenecks and waves of organized retail crime. What they crave more than anything is a period of relative calm and certainty after 3-plus years of managed chaos,” said Michael Hanson, RILA’s Senior Executive Vice President for Public Affairs. 

“The need for a bipartisan agreement is imperative. A misstep over the debt ceiling would subject businesses and consumers to an economic shockwave, jeopardizing employment gains made over the past two years and the Federal Reserve’s methodical campaign to cool inflation.  Neither of these outcomes is desirable, and both are avoidable.

“There are principled men and women serving in government in both political parties who understand the country cannot continue to prosper if we continue to govern from the edge of a cliff, budgeting from crisis to crisis without meeting our long-term obligations and setting a course of stability. 

“We urge the country’s elected policymakers to iron out an agreement that gives businesses the certainty they need to make the capital investments necessary to grow the economy and our workforce."   

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RILA is the US trade association for leading retailers. We convene decision-makers, advocate for the industry, and promote operational excellence and innovation. Our aim is to elevate a dynamic industry by transforming the environment in which retailers operate.

RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.