PA Chamber president calls U.S. Capitol breach “an assault on our democracy”

Following Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump, the PA Chamber of Business and Industry’s president and CEO called for reconciliation and healing to move the country forward.

Gene Barr called the violence at the federal complex “unacceptable” and “an assault on our democracy and an affront to our ideals,” and hoped to see politics return to normalcy.

“Those who committed these acts should be prosecuted as soon as possible,” Barr said in a statement issued this afternoon. “One of the hallmarks of our democracy has been the commitment by those in elected office to a peaceful transition of power. Hopefully this will galvanize all of us to focus on the need for civility in politics as well as everyday life, and also on rebuilding the spirit of cooperation needed to move this country forward.”

Barr, along with a number of other area chamber presidents, spoke to the Central Penn Business Journal late last year about what Joe Biden’s win could mean for the midstate business community. In it, the chamber leaders agreed that a President Biden could bring about an era of stability in politics that could be a boon for day-to-day businesses.