WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“Today President Bush demonstrated that Democrats and Republicans can set aside differences and put our economy on a strong path to growth. By signing the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 into law, the administration and Congress delivered meaningful, immediate relief to American workers and businesses alike. The members of Business Roundtable call on the administration and Congress to build on today’s success by implementing long-term strategies to keep America competitive in the international economy for decades to come,” said John J. Castellani, president of Business Roundtable.

Business Roundtable (www.businessroundtable.org) is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with $4.5 trillion in annual revenues and nearly 10 million employees. Member companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets and represent over 40 percent of all corporate income taxes paid. Collectively, they returned $112 billion in dividends to shareholders and the economy in 2005.

Roundtable companies give more than $7 billion a year in combined charitable contributions, representing nearly 60 percent of total corporate giving. They are technology innovation leaders, with $90 billion in annual research and development spending – nearly half of the total private R&D spending in the U.S.