Author: agcnews

On December 3, Congress released its compromised version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024. The bipartisan WRDA 2024 bill will help ensure that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works Program is appropriately responsive to the water resources needs identified by local communities. Specifically, the bill authorizes 200 feasibility studies and the construction of 21 water resource projects. WRDA 2024 invests in our harbors and inland waterways, which helps to ensure construction materials make it to the jobsite in a timely manner. The water infrastructure bill permanently adjusts the inland waterways cost-share for construction and…

This week the House Steering Committee approved current House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves’ (R-Mo.) request for a waiver to retain his position leading that committee. House Republican rules only allow someone to lead a committee for three consecutive terms, which meant Congressman Sam Graves needed approval from the House Steering Committee to serve another term. AGC previously reported on this race, and others of note to the construction industry, that were being decided by the House Steering Committee. So, what is next? The House Steering Committee will now decide who should formally chair the committee, Congressman Sam…

Tariffs have been a critical tool in U.S. trade policy, affecting the construction industry in both direct and indirect ways. During Trump’s first term in office, he imposed wide ranging tariffs on a variety of imported products. The Trump administration introduced tariffs on all steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) imports, known as the Section 232 tariffs. Similarly, he imposed Section 301 tariffs, which targeted Chinese goods, covering a wide range of imports totaling approximately $370 billion. For context, Section 232 tariffs are usually imposed on the grounds of national security, targeting materials deemed critical for defense, while Section 301 tariffs…

Construction spending increased 0.4 percent from September to October as a pickup in single- and multifamily residential building outweighed declines in public outlays and mixed results for private nonresidential categories, according to an analysis of a new government report that the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials said construction has yet to begin on many federally funded projects amid lengthy regulatory reviews. “Despite a flurry of project announcements by the federal government, much of the money still has not been awarded in construction contracts, let alone work under way,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “At…

Construction employment rose in 238, or 66 percent, of 358 metro areas between October 2023 and October 2024, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials noted that firms continue to boost pay rates as many of them struggle to find enough qualified workers to hire. “While roughly two-thirds of metro areas have added construction workers in the past year, contractors would have hired more employees if there were enough qualified applicants,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Contractors are struggling to fill openings despite offering above-average wages.” Read…

On November 18, President-elect Donald Trump announced Sean Duffy as his nominee for the Secretary of Transportation. Duffy is a former congressman from Wisconsin, who served on the House Financial Services Committee. In addition, he has served as a district attorney in Wisconsin and is a media contributor and co-host for Fox Business show “The Bottom Line.” In a social media post following the announcement, Duffy mentioned that he “is eager to help [Trump] usher in a new golden age of transportation.” During his time in Congress, he represented a predominantly rural congressional district and was involved in initiatives supporting…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced that it expects to make an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, on top of the congressionally mandated 66,000 H-2B visas that are available each fiscal year. These additional H-2B visas represent the maximum permitted under the authority provided by Congress and are identical to the additional temporary visas provided in FY 2024. DHS, in coordination with DOL, has authorized supplemental cap numbers in FY 2017, FY 2018, FY 2019, FY 2021, FY 2022, FY 2023, and FY 2024 in accordance with the time-limited…

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas recently issued a ruling invalidating the entirety of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) final rule to “Define and Delimit the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.” In his ruling, Judge Jordan stated that while DOL has the authority to define and delimit the terms of the overtime exemption, “that authority ‘is not unbounded.’” He explained, “the minimum salary level imposed by the 2024 Rule ‘effectively eliminates’ consideration of whether an employee performs ‘bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity’ duties in favor of…

With control of Congress now determined, all eyes have shifted to congressional committee leadership for the next Congress. So, who will be in charge of committees relevant to construction? Let’s break it down for you: House Transportation Committee. Current Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) is currently seeking a waiver to lead the committee again because House GOP rules only allow someone to lead a committee for three consecutive terms. If that waiver is not granted, then it appears to be a race between Congressman Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) and Congressman David Rouzer (R- N.C.). The democrats on the committee will once again…

AGC previously reported about certain tax provisions, included in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), that are important to the construction industry which are set to expire. The past few weeks have focused on the Section 199A “qualified business income deduction” and the ability of businesses to fully deduct the cost of equipment in the year that it is purchased, and increasing the “small contractor exemption” from the percentage of completion method of accounting. This section will focus on how the tax code limits the ability of contractors to “carry back” losses, and how this negatively impacts the industry. During consideration of…