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Senate Rebuke of Trump Foreign Policy Recently, the administration’s foreign policy, particularly over the last few weeks, has caused frustration among Democrats and posed challenges for some Republicans in Congress. In a rare public disagreement with President Trump, five Republican senators—Collins (R-ME), Hawley (R-MO), Murkowski (R-AK), Paul (R-KY), and Young (R-IN)—voted last week to move…

Reconciliation 2.0? Chairman Pfluger (R-TX) announced that the Republican Study Committee will release a blueprint for a second budget reconciliation package this week. Congressional Republicans are split on pursuing another party-line bill. Return to the ASAtoday page to read more articles

New House Ratios Rep. LaMalfa (R-CA) passed away, leaving Republicans with a narrow one-vote majority in the House (218-213), as Rep. Massie (R-KY) often breaks party ranks. California has two weeks to schedule a special election for LaMalfa’s seat, which is expected to become Democratic after redistricting. Texas will hold a January 31 special election…

DOL’s Six Opinion Letters on the Application of FMLA and FLSA On January 5, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued six opinion letters to provide clarity to the employer community on the application of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The opinion letters address specific compliance…

This Week in Congress Congress returned this week to start the second session of the 119th Congress. The House considered two bills that would limit the Energy Department’s ability to issue household energy efficiency standards: the SHOWER Act (H.R. 4593) would redefine a showerhead relevant to federal water pressure requirements, and the Affordable HOMES Act…

Update: FY26 Appropriations Bills The legislation that ended the government shutdown in November included three FY26 appropriations bills: Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs.  Congress has until January 30 to pass the remaining nine appropriations bills or a continuing resolution (CR) that would continue funding those agencies and programs at FY 2025 spending levels.…

Healthcare Votes Continue Before the recess, the House passed the Republican healthcare bill by a vote of 216-211 (Rep. Massie (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against it; no Democrat voted for it).  The measure is not expected to move in the Senate. Speaker Johnson (R-LA) did not allow Republican moderates to offer an…

ASA Government Relations 2025 Recap As we start the new year and say goodbye to 2025, the American Subcontractor Association (ASA) Government Relations Team would like to provide a brief update on our legislative and regulatory achievements. Despite the challenges faced last year, we are deeply grateful to our Government Relations Committee (GRC) for their…

ASA and ASA CA Urges the California Supreme Court to Review a Decision that Creates Substantial Instability in California’s Construction Industry and Threatens the Economic Survival of Thousands of Licensed Subcontractors.   ALEXANDRIA, Va.— The American Subcontractors Associations’ Subcontractors Legal Defense Fund supported an Amicus Letter in Support of Petition for Review in the Pacific…

This Week in Congress Both chambers are scheduled to recess at the end of the week and reconvene in the first full week of January.  In the interim, Happy Holidays! This week, the House voted on several significant bills, including H.R. 498, which would prohibit using Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care for minors. Additionally, the…