On Feb. 26, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing, “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Implementation and Case Studies.” Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter expressing concern that the Biden administration’s pro-project labor agreement policies were limiting opportunities for all Americans to participate on federal and federally assisted construction projects, raising costs for taxpayers.

On Feb. 5, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing, Rightsizing Government. The hearing focused on eliminating waste, fraud and abuse by the federal government. Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the Committee highlighting how the Biden administration’s Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects final rule eliminated merit-based federal contracting and increased taxpayer costs by 12-20%. The letter urged Congress and the Trump administration to Congress and the Trump administration have the opportunity to restore merit to federal contracting by advancing fair and open competition. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who serves on the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs, entered ABC’s letter into the hearing record. The Congressman's remarks may be seen here. 

On Jan. 9, ABC and a diverse group of two dozen construction and business groups sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump urging him to eliminate President Joe Biden’s final rule implementing Executive Order 14063 requiring federal construction contracts of $35 million or more to be subjected to anti-competitive and inflationary project labor agreements. The coalition letter also called for the repeal of additional Biden administration policies pushing PLA mandates and preferences on federally assisted construction projects procured by private developers and local and state governments.

“In place of these failed Biden administration policies, we request a new executive order that restricts government-mandated PLAs and restores robust fair and open competition on federal and federally assisted construction projects,” said the coalition letter. “This will save taxpayers an estimated $10 billion per year on public works projects annually and restore opportunities for all of the construction industry to rebuild America."

Learn more here.

On July 31, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs held a hearing, "Long-Term Economic Benefits and Impacts from Federal Infrastructure and Public Transportation Investment." Prior to the hearing, ABC submitted a letter to the committee highlighting that the Biden-Harris administration's Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects Final Rule is undermining federal infrastructure investments. Specifically, ABC expressed concern that the rule excludes 89.3% of the private U.S. construction industry workforce, reduces competition and increases costs for the American taxpayer on federal and federally assisted construction projects.

See the full hearing here.

On May 22, the U.S. House Committee on Small Business held a hearing titled, “Burdensome Regulations: Examining the Biden Administration’s Failure to Consider Small Businesses.” Prior to the hearing, ABC sent a letter detailing concerns with the Biden administration’s rulemakings that disregard small businesses, diminish their ability to compete and undermine their integral role in building America’s infrastructure. The letter specifically highlighted the U.S. Department of Labor’s final rules on overtime and Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council’s final rule on the Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects.

You can watch the full hearing on the committee’s YouTube channel.

On Feb. 15, the U.S. House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure held a hearing titled “Leveling the Playing Field: Challenges Facing Small Business Contracting.” ABC sent a letter detailing the significant hurdles small businesses face while competing for federal construction projects, specifically through the Biden administration’s implementation of government mandated project labor agreements and a new Independent Contractor Classification standard. Cited in the letter was ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator that declined to 8.4 months in January, according to an ABC member survey conducted from Jan. 22 to Feb. In addition, the National Federation of Independent Business’ recent study showed that owners who expect higher real sales volumes fell 12% last month and a larger share of small business owners reported lower earnings over the last three months.

You can view the full hearing here.

On Dec. 13, ABC submitted comments to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as they conduct oversight on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

ABC’s letter to the Highways and Transit Subcommittee criticized the modal administrators for their deviations from the bipartisan agreement reached during the IIJA's negotiation, and efforts to incorporate partisan language rejected by the House and Senate that would hinder the success of the IIJA. ABC has previously expressed concerns about these administrative actions, including the DOT’s efforts to impose unlawful and overly burdensome policies and restrictive labor requirements on key federal infrastructure funds and projects.