ICBA United to Work with Divided Congress

Congress will have a new look when it returns to Washington this week. With a Republican House and Democratic Senate following November’s elections, many pundits have predicted a return to gridlock on Capitol Hill in 2011.

While a split Congress will surely face new challenges in reaching consensus on various issues, I believe our nation often works best under a split government. Divided government has resulted in some of our nation’s greatest accomplishments and frequently has tempered the push for undesirable policies, as laws tend to be more balanced and moderate when both parties are forced to come together.

We do not yet know how Congress will proceed in 2011, but we do know that ICBA will be there every step of the way vigorously advocating on behalf of the nation’s community banks. The association looks forward to continuing to work with both parties on a variety of issues critical to the community banking industry. And something upon which we can all agree is that ICBA is never divided in its singular mission to promote and advance the interests of Main Street America’s community banks.