Nearly 200 top U.S. business leaders pressed Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory in a letter Monday, the latest attempt by corporate executives to publicly urge a smooth transition of power as President Trump and many Republicans continue to dispute his election defeat.
The letter, sent by the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit that represents the city’s business leaders and largest employers, called on Congress to certify the electoral vote on Wednesday as the nation continues to reel from the coronavirus pandemic.
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“Attempts to thwart or delay this process run counter to the essential tenets of our democracy,” the letter said. “Our duly elected leaders deserve the respect and bipartisan support of all Americans at a moment when we are dealing with the worst health and economic crises in modern history.”
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Among the nearly 200 business leaders who signed the letter are the heads of financial firm BlackRock Inc.
BLK,
+0.53%,
consulting firm Deloitte, airline JetBlue Airways Corp.
JBLU,
+1.85%
and pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc.
PFE,
+1.03%,
according to a release sent by the partnership. The group includes a number of Fortune 500 companies across industries, as well as New York–based financial-services firms and law firms.
An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.
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