Senate Approves Must-pass Legislation for Water Infrastructure

On Oct. 10, the U.S. Senate approved the America’s Water Infrastructure Act, a waterways infrastructure bill that requires reauthorization every two years, with a bipartisan 99-1 vote. The House passed the bill earlier this year, and the president is expected to sign it into law this week. The legislation authorizes at least $9 billion for critical water infrastructure projects across America, including flood protection and drinking water improvement projects. Read the rest of entry »

ABC Celebrates Infrastructure Week 2018

It’s #TimeToBuild! ABC will be celebrating Infrastructure Week, May 14-21, with an awareness campaign highlighting the critical importance of infrastructure. Visit infrastructureweek.org for sharable factoids and information how to participate or plan your own event, look for daily Infrastructure Week social media posts on ABC National’s social media channels and follow the conversation using the hashtags #ABCMeritShopProud and #TimeToBuild. Read the rest of entry »

Federal Agencies Sign MOU to Streamline Infrastructure Permitting

On April 9, federal agency heads signed the “One Federal Decision Memorandum of Understanding,” which will further implement the administration's executive order to streamline the federal permitting process for major infrastructure projects. ABC expressed support for the executive order when it was announced in 2017.  Read the rest of entry »

ABC Weighs in on Elements of a Successful Infrastructure Package

On March 1, ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman joined members of Congress, senior committee staff, key industry stakeholders and top administration officials for discussions on the challenges of writing and passing a package to revitalize America’s infrastructure. Read the rest of entry »

President Trump Releases Infrastructure Proposal

On Feb. 12, President Donald Trump announced the release of his administration’s infrastructure proposal. ABC President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman issued the following statement on the president’s infrastructure plan: “ABC applauds the president for sending Congress a plan to rebuild America’s infrastructure. It is now time for lawmakers to develop legislation and policy to efficiently modernize America’s infrastructure and drive economic growth and prosperity for all Americans." Read the rest of entry »

Congress Passes Funding Deal Ahead of White House 2019 Budget Request

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. Read the rest of entry »

ABC Commends White House Infrastructure Plan's Regulatory Streamlining, Workforce Development Expansion Goals

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s infrastructure proposal:

“ABC applauds the president for sending Congress a plan to rebuild America’s infrastructure. It is now time for lawmakers to develop legislation and policy to efficiently modernize America’s infrastructure and drive economic growth and prosperity for all Americans.
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National Business Media Turns to ABC for Perspective on Construction Boom, Infrastructure Plan

During live appearances on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Jan. 8 and Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Co.” Jan. 5, ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman told viewers that while the construction industry is booming, the challenge going forward is finding skilled labor, especially if Congress passes a wide-ranging, trillion dollar bill meant to address the country’s aging infrastructure. Read the rest of entry »

Fox News: ABC CEO Michael Bellaman Talks Infrastructure

In a live interview on Fox News on Aug. 20, ABC President and CEO Bellaman praised President Trump’s recent executive order streamlining infrastructure permitting, saying it goes a long way towards eliminating construction delays and sets the table for when legislation is passed. But we have “a whole lot to do” before infrastructure rebuilding can begin.
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ABC CEO Michael Bellaman Hits the Airwaves for the Merit Shop

From a live interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo this morning to recent appearances on RT’s “Boom Bust,” Michael Bellaman has been a more frequent presence on cable news since workforce development and infrastructure rebuilding have risen on the national agenda.  Read the rest of entry »