The 33 national associations and construction trade unions of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) applaud your work on the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022). This bipartisan legislation will authorize much needed investment for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) projects, including ports, dredging, locks, levees, dams, and water supply projects and we support its passage and enactment.
Federal investment in infrastructure is critical to sustaining economic growth and quality of life improvements as the nation moves beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of promises of a large infrastructure bill, Congress and President Joe Biden delivered with the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) nearly 13 months ago. The investments from the IIJA are beginning to have real world impacts as numerous agencies begin to roll out programs and resources at a time when investing in our supply chain could not be more important.
On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write in strong support of the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, H.R. 9092. This legislation would rescind the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022’s billions in funding for the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) expanded enforcement efforts, while retaining funding for the IRS to focus on improving taxpayer services and modernizing operations to serve taxpayers.
As the President & CEO of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), I am writing to implore Congress to avert a rail strike at all costs. The association’s 400 members are a critical part of effectively implementing the bipartisan infrastructure bill. They rely heavily on freight rail to get products where they need to be. A freight rail strike would have a tremendous impact on our industry’s ability to supply the construction materials needed for projects around the country.
On behalf of the 400 members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) I am writing to share our strong support for S. 4815, the Simplifying Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency Act (START Act). This bill is crucial, as it will provide reforms to regulations and permitting timelines; which are needed in order to help modernize our infrastructure.
I’m writing on behalf of the Opportunity America Jobs and Careers Coalition to express our support for Sen. Tom Cotton’s American Workforce Act (AWA), a thoughtful, innovative approach to workforce development that has the potential to provide more effective training for American workers and badly needed talent for employers, enhancing opportunity and boosting economic competitiveness. The Opportunity America Jobs and Careers Coalition is a Washington-based business group focused on job training and workforce development.
As Congress works to find agreement on a continuing resolution, the undersigned organizations ask that the overwhelmingly bipartisan S. 3011/H.R. 5735 be included in any stopgap spending package. This legislation allows states and localities additional flexibility to use American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds for a range of transportation purposes. The ARP law provided $350 billion in state and local government relief funds and $10 billion in capital improvement assistance. As states continue to recover from the pandemic, new economic headwinds and rising costs have emerged.
On behalf of the 400 members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), I am writing to share our support for Shailen Bhatt’s nomination to lead the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The work of this committee over the past years to craft and advance responsible surface transportation reauthorizations, which were incorporated as the base of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), has given FHWA a historic opportunity to improve our infrastructure that betters the lives of every American.
The undersigned organizations represent millions of Main Street businesses and employ tens of millions of workers and we oppose the Senate-passed Inflation Reduction Act. Inflation is at 40-year highs, we have had two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, and we are witnessing a shrinking small business sector, yet the Inflation Reduction Act does nothing to address these immediate issues even as it increases the burden of the tax code shouldered by America’s small and family-owned businesses.