Policy

WASHINGTON, May 13—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to a 20-month high of 8.7 months in April, according to an ABC member survey conducted April 22 to May 6. The reading is up 0.3 months since April 2024. View ABC’s ...

WASHINGTON, May 2—The U.S. Department of Labor’s May 1 announcement says it will pause enforcement of the 2024 Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act final rule in current enforcement matters while the agency reviews this regulation. ...

Updated April 9, 2:55pm: President Trump has issued a 90-day pause on tariffs for more than 75 trading partners who did not retaliate after last week’s sweeping order. THE 25% TARIFF ON CANADIAN AND MEXICAN PRODUCTS On March 3, 2025, the Trump administration announced that the...

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president and quickly issued a sweeping set of executive orders aimed at reversing Biden administration policies related to diversity, immigration, national security and climate. The orders require enactment throug...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20—Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck commended the Council on Environmental Quality’s interim final rule repealing all National Environmental Policy Act regulations previously issued by CEQ. “Th...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19—Associated Builders and Contractors celebrated a Feb. 12 policy shift by the U.S. General Services Administration that will restore merit-based competition for infrastructure contracts to build land port of entry projects procured by the GSA. “The GSA’s new p...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11—Associated Builders and Contractors celebrated a Feb. 7 decision by the U.S. Department of Defense, released to the public on Feb. 11, that will restore merit-based competition for taxpayer-funded construction projects procured by military agencies. “The DoD’...

The potential for cheap or inferior construction equipment and materials from China to end up in the United States is a multi-pronged, wide-ranging and complex problem—and it comes with a host of potentially detrimental effects. The issue pertains to trade rules, behaviors that ...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11—Associated Builders and Contractors today issued the following statement applauding the U.S. Senate for voting down the confirmation of Lauren McFerran to a third term as chair of the National Labor Relations Board, 49-50. “McFerran’s tenure has been the subj...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement congratulating ABC-endorsed Donald J. Trump on his election as president and the election of a merit shop majority in the U.S. Senate. “This is an exciting day for our industry,” said A...