On May 23rd, the White House released the president’s proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year (FY18). Titled “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” Congress is likely to dismiss most or all of the president’s budget -- as they traditionally do with most White House wish lists, but the budget provides insight into White House policy and program priorities. 

The law firm Littler Mendelson, ABC National’s general counsel, published an article with details on how the proposed budget would affect the construction industry and the workforce at large.

ABC members may be interested in some notable highlights from the budget:  

• According to an infrastructure initiative fact sheet released by the White House, the 2018 budget proposes $200 billion in outlays related to the president’s stated goal of investing $1 trillion in infrastructure over the next decade.. 
• Following up on one of the President Trump’s campaign promises, the proposal includes a framework to allow for up to six weeks of paid family leave to new mothers and fathers, including adoptive parents. According to the proposal, this program would be a part of the unemployment insurance program and would not go into effect until 2020.
• The budget proposal also merges the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs , an office under the Department of Labor (DOL), and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), an independent office. However, several organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, raised concerns of combining these offices during a congressional hearing on May 23.   
• Overall, the DOL would face a roughly 20 percent cut to its budget, with most of these cuts coming from DOL training activities programs. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and EEOC face slightly smaller cuts and the budget also states that no NLRB funds will be used to increase electronic voting in union elections.

ABC will continue to work with Congress, federal agencies and the White House on many of these priorities, programs and initiatives and will keep members informed about developments impacting their businesses.