The U.S. Chamber in the News - October 18

White House to meet with industry groups on cyber order
The influential U.S. Chamber of Commerce is also set to meet with the White
House this month to discuss efforts to improve cybersecurity, according to
a spokeswoman for the business lobby. The order would create a voluntary
program in which companies operating key infrastructure would elect to meet a set of cybersecurity standards developed, in part, by the government. The White House started exploring an executive order after Senate Republicans blocked a bill co-sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and other Democrats in August. [The Hill]

Negative Ads Reign In Maine Senate Race
Over the summer, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce began running an ad that attacked the former governor as "the king of spending" during his two terms in office. Another ad, sponsored by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, suggests King used improper channels to secure a federal loan for his windmill business. An independent fact-checker found the ad to be false. King has spent the past several weeks defending himself, threatening to file suit and looking to close the deal in a campaign solely focused on reducing his lead. Despite more than $2 million spent trying to defeat him, King is still well ahead of his opponents, Republican Charlie Summers and Democrat Cynthia Dill.  [NPR]

GOP Sen. Brown outpacing Warren in PAC donations
Democratic Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren has raked in more campaign cash than rival Sen. Scott Brown, but the Republican is outpacing Warren in donations from political action committee. Among those PACs that have given Brown $10,000 this election cycle were committees associated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, , the Union Pacific Corporation, the National Beer Wholesalers Association, the Independent Petroleum Association of America and Google.  [Boston.com]

Underdog GOP Connie Mack gets shot at incumbent Nelson in Florida Senate race
Mack said he expects as much as $30 million to be spent by him and such organizations backing him as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Freedom PAC and American Crossroads.  [Palm Beach Post]

U.S. Chamber of Commerce comments on robocall summit
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked the Federal Trade Commission to work with legislators as it moves ahead with an examination of automatic “robocall” technology. “[It] is imperative that any discussion properly distinguish between illegal telemarketing calls and informational calls that benefit consumers, and address modernizing and improving America’s existing telecommunications laws,” said Bill Kovacs, the Chamber’s senior vice president of Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs in a statement. [Washington Post]

Editorial: Holes in US cyber security
In particular, business groups have resisted a Senate proposal that would give the private operators of critical infrastructure — water plants, electrical grids and the like — an incentive to meet new cyber-security goals. That measure, S 3414, was blocked in August by a Republican filibuster after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce declared its unstinting opposition. The chamber's opposition didn't square with the actual provisions of the bill, which addressed most of its stated concerns. [Los Angeles Times]