WASHINGTON: Trade organizations based in the nation's capital say that legislation that helped the country avoid the “fiscal cliff” is only a starting point, not the end of the conversation when it comes to balancing the nation's books and reducing debt.

The Fix the Debt group has launched a new outreach effort called “Hold Your Applause.” The organization contends that the legislation signed by President Barack Obama on Wednesday did nothing to reduce debt, which it says is growing by $3 ...