This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to bring the immigration debate to the floor through an open and unlimited amendment process that could subject senators on both sides of the aisle to politically tough votes. Through this process, a 60-vote threshold will be required for passage of any proposal. 

On Feb. 9, shortly before the White House released its 2019 budget request, both chambers of Congress passed, and the president signed, a funding agreement that sets a budget for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. The deal will raise federal spending caps by $300 billion in 2018 and 2019 and suspend the debt limit until 2019.

On Jan. 22, President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill (H.R.195) to end the government shutdown and fund government operations through Feb. 8. Included in the bill was a suspension for 2019 of the health insurance tax (HIT) on providers included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman released the following statement after Congress passed The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: “This is a historic day for the construction industry. For too long, ABC’s 21,000-plus members have paid the highest effective tax rate of any sector of the economy. We are a capital-intensive, cash-flow challenged, domestically oriented industry comprised mostly of small, family owned and closely held merit shop construction companies employing hardworking Americans. Our members have waited for Washington to let them keep more money in their paychecks, which would enable them to invest

Chuck Goodrich, president of Gaylor Electric, Inc., explained the Trump administration’s regulatory rollback is giving construction companies more efficiency and they don’t feel like they are “under attack” from the federal government. According to Goodrich’s presentation, experts say President Trump is on pace to put out fewer rules than the “reigning deregulation champion,” President Ronald Reagan.

The U.S. Senate passed sweeping tax reform legislation on Dec. 2, overcoming a number of setbacks over the course of a long week.  The effort to win over holdouts and cobble together the necessary votes led to a number of late-breaking changes to the bill, culminating in what was essentially a party line vote, with Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) as the only dissenting Republican. 

On Nov. 29, President Trump delivered a strong defense of reducing the tax burden on businesses of all sizes in his “Bring Back Main Street” Speech in St. Charles, Mo. He urged Congress to push tax reform across the finish line as the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on their version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this week.

On Nov. 28, The Senate Budget Committee voted to advance S.1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on a party line vote of 11-10. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) voted to send the bill to the Senate floor after originally withholding their support.

On Nov. 13, the U.S. Senate began the first day of an expected four-day process to amend and approve their version of tax reform legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on their version of the bill on Thursday, Nov. 15. If both chambers pass their respective bills, conferees will be designated to negotiate an agreement between the House and Senate versions, which currently include a number of significant differences. 

On Nov. 7, ABC joined Associated General Contractors, the Leading Builders of America and the National Association of Home Builders in a letter to Congressional leaders expressing the construction industry’s concerns regarding the upcoming decisions related to the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras. The letter urged Congress to take legislative action to ensure that TPS holders can remain and continue to work legally in this country.