THE LATEST: The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which includes the most impactful federal environmental review and permitting reforms in over 40 years, helps address the industry’s workforce shortages, and averts a catastrophic national credit default.

WHAT TO DO: It takes less than 30 seconds to send our prewritten message telling your U.S. senators to support federal environmental review and permitting reform and to pass the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

WHY IT MATTERS: Our nation faces many challenges that require the delivery of timely infrastructure projects to help address them. But waiting years just for a federal environmental review or permitting decision, let alone the beginning of construction, needlessly delays these projects.

To this point, environmental review documents required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can take agencies years and hundreds—if not thousands—of pages to complete. Even then, these documents often face years- or decades-long lawsuits, as NEPA is the most frequently litigated federal environmental statute.

OUR POSITION: The Fiscal Responsibility Act includes a host of long-sought, AGC-backed reforms to the federal environmental review and permitting process, without jeopardizing environmental protections, by amending NEPA to:

• Curtail frivolous lawsuits to delay or cancel projects
• Claw back the over expansive reach of federal environmental review to its intended purpose
• Extend One Federal Decision policies to all construction projects
• Enable agencies to adopt other agencies’ categorical exclusions from NEPA

THE DETAILS: Read more about AGC’s position in our letter to House leaders.

In addition to the environmental review reforms, the Fiscal Responsibility Act’s new work requirements for some individuals receiving federal assistance may bring more people back into the workforce. It is no secret that pandemic-era measures that paid people not to work exacerbated workforce shortages in virtually every sector of the economy. These shortages undermined economic growth, including in construction. The new measures included in the bill could help lead some people to high-paying careers in professions like construction.

Lastly, passage of the bill will allow the U.S. government to meet its immediate obligations, take important steps to reduce its future obligations, and will make necessary reforms to improve the economy.

Yesterday, CNN released a national poll that specifically tested President Joe Biden’s support within the Democratic primary and some of the underlying numbers showed certain areas of severe weakness.

Formally declaring his intention to run for President Wednesday evening on a technically flawed Twitter broadcast with Elon Musk, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially became a national candidate. How far he can go, however, remains to be seen.

Early in the week, the Senate open seat number rose to five, and it’s possible this is the final such number for this election cycle.

AGC-supported legislation introduced to make permanent 20% tax deduction for pass-through businesses and to expand write offs for small businesses’ equipment.

For the second time in two weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court sides unanimously with an AGC Construction Advocacy Fund-backed legal effort; this time on a critical Waters of the United States (WOTUS) case impacting Clean Water Act permits. 

AGC-backed bills advance that would extend permitting reforms to more types of construction projects and prioritize discretionary grants on freight movement projects, among others.

The General Services Administration announces new construction awards program to recognize contractor excellence, which AGC has long sought federal owners to do.

AGC makes clear the construction industry’s opposition to any effort by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to unreasonably remove or modify the 40-year-old Buy America waiver for manufactured products.

Check out these political snippets on the presidential, congressional, gubernatorial and state races from across the country. 

Maryland Congressman David Trone (D-Potomac) already announcing for the state’s open Senate seat will very likely leave hotly contested partisan primaries and a potentially majority determining general election in his wake.

Many of the 2024 Senate races are beginning to take shape; hence, this is a good time to review the candidate situation in each competitive seat.

A new national poll from a pair of major media outlets finds President Joe Biden significantly trailing both former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Check out these political snippets on the presidential, congressional, gubernatorial and state races from across the country. 

A trio of new Republican national presidential primary polls again give former President Donald Trump big leads for the party nomination, but countrywide surveys don’t always reflect the commensurate delegate count.

Continuing our analysis of the First Quarter 2023 campaign finance numbers, today we look at the US House filings.

On the four-year anniversary of announcing his victorious candidacy in 2019, President Joe Biden declared re-election in a video presentation.

Check out these political snippets on the presidential, congressional and gubernatorial races from across the country. 

Pennsylvania based Franklin & Marshall College just released the results of their most recent statewide poll on the heels of Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D) announcing that he will seek a fourth term, and the data reveals some vulnerability for two top Democrats.

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Silt) barely topped her re-election challenger last November, and a new poll suggests that her perception problems may not yet be solved.