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Status Update on the FY25 NDAA (Defense Act) The Senate delayed work on its version of the defense authorization bill until at least September. Republicans and Democrats blamed each other for the impasse, which spells an uncertain future for the must-pass defense policy bill. Several GOP senators took to the floor to attack Majority Leader…

FY25 Appropriations Bills “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” “You can’t always get what you want,” and in this case, you cannot even get what you need. It’s August and we find ourselves in the same place as in past years, slowly rolling towards another continuing resolution (CR), putting departments and agencies in slow-down…

Update: Jobs and Interest Rates The U.S. added 114,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent, per data released by the Labor Department. Economists expected the U.S. to add 175,000 jobs and keep the jobless rate steady at 4.1 percent, per consensus estimates. The Federal Reserve is leaving interest rates unchanged.…

This Week in Congress This week, the House is in recess until September 9th and the Senate voted on online-child-safety-bills.  On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees held a joint hearing regarding the attempted assassination of former President Trump and on Wednesday, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee considered the Energy Permitting Reform…

The FY25 NDAA and Delaying the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Sens. Scott (R-SC) and Lankford (R-OK) offered amendments to the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to delay the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)’s filing deadline by one year. Remaining consistent with our message to delay the implementation of the CTA, ASA joined 130 organizations in…

The Economy and National Debt U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at a 2.8% annualized rate over three months ending in September. That figure doubled the annualized rate of growth undertaken over the previous quarter.  Per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “the economic expansion reflected a surge in consumer spending and the uptick in…

This Week in Congress This week, Congress returned for a two-week sprint before the August recess.  The House voted on a series of Fiscal Year 2025 spending bills, including Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; and Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and…

This Week – ASA Carolinas Convention in Cape Fear, NC! Thursday through Sunday of this week, the ASA Carolinas Convention was held in Cape Fear, North Carolina.  Mike Oscar, ASA’s Government Relations Director, addressed the convention with the following topics: Promoting Prompt Payments through Legislative Action A core issue for the ASA in 2024 is…

House OSHA Hearing On Wednesday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing on OSHA’s regulatory “overreach and skewed priorities.” Per Subcommittee Chair Kiley (R-CA), “it is critical that OSHA acknowledge and implement feedback from the employers and job creators who are affected by its top-down mandates to ensure…

Youth Build Funding Announced The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the availability of $99 million in YouthBuild Program grants that are intended to support the delivery of pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries. These grants provide academic support, occupational skills training and employment services to young people, ages 16 to 24, in communities where they face…