--- title: Obama Says America's 'Open for Business' at Summit description: President Obama was self-assured during a sales pitch to foreign business leaders, saying he was confident that he could work with Congress. canonical: https://time.com/3754960/obama-says-americas-open-for-business-at-summit/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-23T21:08:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T05:22:27.009Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama Says America's 'Open for Business' at Summit og:description: He sounded confident, but speed bumps remain. og:url: https://time.com/3754960/obama-says-americas-open-for-business-at-summit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75e74ad6890886c2/698784dde20a872d82a85b5a/obama7.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: U.S. President Obama waves after speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama Says America's 'Open for Business' at Summit twitter:description: He sounded confident, but speed bumps remain. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75e74ad6890886c2/698784dde20a872d82a85b5a/obama7.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama Says America's 'Open for Business' at Summit > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2140b92e-e02a-4559-9555-f2fd1e3102fa&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2140b92e-e02a-4559-9555-f2fd1e3102fa&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=2140b92e-e02a-4559-9555-f2fd1e3102fa&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 23, 2015 9:08 PM UTC  President Barack Obama waves after speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit at National Harbor, Md on March 23, 2015. President Barack Obama waves after speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit at National Harbor, Md on March 23, 2015. Joshua Roberts—Reuters by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 23, 2015 9:08 PM UTC President Obama was self-assured during a quick sales pitch to foreign business leaders Monday, saying he was confident that he could work with Congress to iron out trade deals and a budget plan. “The things that help businesses grow are not partisan,” Obama said in his remarks. Still, he and a key Cabinet member warned Republicans against blocking the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, which helps foreign companies that need credit buy U.S. goods. Obama faces partisan difficulties on both sides as he pushes ahead with the business-friendly agenda. A conservative group backed by the Koch Brothers [launched a new effort](http://time.com/3753650/koch-brothers-export-import-bank/) Monday to block the Ex-Im Bank, arguing that it represents “cronyism and corporate welfare.” The administration is also going head-to-head with members of the Democratic Party and typical supporters like labor unions as it irons out the plan that would free up trade between the U.S. and about a dozen countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America. Some of the most outspoken critics are Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who oppose the administration’s goal of moving the trade legislation through Congress quickly because they worry it will threaten jobs and standards on food and product safety. In an interview ahead of the President’s speech, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said it would be “terrible” if the Ex-Im Bank were to expire and argued the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal is critical to the U.S. remaining competitive with Asia’s growing middle class. “Today there are 550 million people in the middle class in Asia,” she said. “That number will be 2.7 billion in 15 years. The ability for our companies to be able to sell into the fastest-growing middle class market in the world is really critical.” Vinai Thummalapally, the executive director of SelectUSA, told reporters that foreign investors are generally confident that the debate over the Ex-Im bank will die down eventually. “In spite of the debate, it rarely comes up there’s this confidence that things will settle down, based on things that happened in the past.” for the most part, he added, “they’re amused, they shake their heads.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3754960/obama-says-americas-open-for-business-at-summit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3754960/obama-says-americas-open-for-business-at-summit/"},"headline":"Obama Says America's 'Open for Business' at Summit","datePublished":"2015-03-23T21:08:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:22:27.009Z","description":"President Obama was self-assured during a sales pitch to foreign business leaders, saying he was confident that he could work with Congress.","url":"https://time.com/3754960/obama-says-americas-open-for-business-at-summit/","keywords":["White House","Economy","trade"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75e74ad6890886c2/698784dde20a872d82a85b5a/obama7.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75e74ad6890886c2/698784dde20a872d82a85b5a/obama7.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"U.S. President Obama waves after speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit","caption":"U.S. President Obama waves after speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit","creditText":"Joshua Roberts—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3754960/obama-says-americas-open-for-business-at-summit/","name":"Obama Says America's 'Open for Business' at Summit"}}]}] ```