- Government funding expires on December 21 and Congress doesn’t seem to have a plan to keep the government open, with the President opposing any spending bill that does not include $5 billion for the wall.
- Congress passed the five-year authorization of the Farm Bill, WITHOUT the Tall Wood Building Prize Competition included.
- End of year tax bill is unlikely to pass. It didn’t make it on the calendar this week and Congress might not return until Wednesday of next week.
- The UK government issued a report on its ban of combustible materials, posing a roadblock for expansion of mass timber in high rises. This may provide a model for NRMCA’s Government Affairs outreach in the next Congress.
- The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine issued a report on American highway infrastructure, urging Congress to raise the gas tax and lift the prohibition on tolling federal highways.
- NRMCA Government Affairs attended a briefing by the National Republican Congressional Committee offering some perspective on the huge midterm losses. In the final week of the election, Independent voters broke 12 points for Democrats. Republican leadership said it needs to do a better job of communicating how its policies make Americans’ lives better.
- In a meeting with Sen. Schumer’s infrastructure staff, the North American Concrete Alliance (NACA) reiterated the need for infrastructure and offered support for a number of policy solutions. The NACA infrastructure one-pager is here.
- Just after the midterm election, NACA debuted its new website.
- NRMCA is receiving Kids Art Contest entries until the end of the year. Click here for more information. The 2018 winners are here.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association