Posts by Matt Zuiderhof

            Last Wednesday, House Republicans released their budget resolution. The measure proposes raising the debt ceiling by $4 trillion, authorizing committees to increase the deficit by $4.5 trillion over ten years to accommodate tax cuts, mandating at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, and requiring a $300 billion increase in expenditures on defense, immigration enforcement,…

Government Funding Saga Continues! Government funding expires in 25 days.  The parties continue negotiations to agree on a top-line spending number, but Republicans might have to pass another continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government for some temporary period or through the end of the fiscal year (September 30).  Republicans and Democrats have already started…

Federal Employee Terminations The Trump administration has intensified the termination of federal employees. The Office of Personnel Management directed the dismissal of trial and probationary employees last week. These employees, who are generally in their first year or two of employment, have fewer protections compared to more established workers. Although the exact number of terminated…

Sen. Paul, Rep. Wilson Reintroduce National Right-to-Work Legislation On February 12th, Sen. Paul (R-KY) and Rep. Wilson (R-SC) reintroduced the National Right to Work Act. This bill would prevent mandatory union dues as a condition of employment. Sen. Paul’s opposition to Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination as Secretary of Labor is due to her past support of…

This Week in Congress This week, the House voted on the Midnight Rules Relief Act (H.R. 77), which would allow multiple regulations from the final year of a president’s term to be canceled by a single joint resolution of disapproval, and a bill (H.R. 35) that would impose new criminal penalties on drivers who evade…

Update on Budget Reconciliation The initial step in the budget reconciliation process requires both chambers of Congress to pass a budget resolution. Speaker Johnson (R-LA) initially intended for the House Budget Committee to mark up a budget resolution last week. However, leadership and key factions of the Republican party have yet to agree on top-line…

ASA Supports Immigration Reform Including Expansion of the H2B Program and More… Three-fourths of the construction industry consists of subcontractors, and ASA members will need 723,00 workers annually to meet demand.  Factors driving this include natural disaster recovery, increased data center needs, likely raising labor costs. In the past year, average hourly earnings have increased…

ASA Supports Sen. Risch (R-ID)’s Simplifying Subcontracting Act ASA supports the reintroduction of the Simplifying Subcontracting Act, a bill designed to reduce complexity in federal government contracting to assist more small businesses and entrepreneurs in pursuing contracts. Last year, Senators Crapo (R-ID), Hickenlooper (D-CO), Budd (R-NC), Kennedy (R-LA), and Rubio (R-FL) joined Senator Risch in…

ASA Supports the Water Infrastructure Subcontractor & Taxpayer Protection Act ASA commends Sens. Kelly (D-AZ) and Cramer (R-ND) for introducing bipartisan legislation to improve project delivery and reduce risk of default on federally financed water infrastructure projects. The Water Infrastructure Subcontractor and Taxpayer Protection Act would require any primary contractor working on water infrastructure projects…

ASA Calls Upon Congress to Enact a Fee on Electric Vehicles Investing in the nation’s infrastructure provides far-reaching economic benefits. Recent congressional support for roads, bridges and public transportation systems has helped deliver much-needed projects to every congressional district across the country.  These improvements have enhanced safety, mobility and efficiency nationwide. These outcomes are made…