Contact:   Gail Raiman, (703) 812-2073                     For Immediate Release 
                  Gerry Fritz, (703) 812-2062                       September 23, 2010

Washington, D.C. – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) President and CEO Kirk Pickerel today issued the following statement in support of “A Pledge to America,” an agenda offered by U.S. House Republicans to create jobs, cut taxes and reduce the size of government.

“ABC applauds the ‘Pledge to America’ agenda offered by House Republicans today. Small businesses are the backbone of economic recovery and job creation in America, and it is proposals like these that will get our economy back on track and people back to work,” said Pickerel.

“Washington recently has made it increasingly difficult for our free market system to flourish by failing to provide much needed tax relief while creating more burdensome regulations and bureaucratic red tape. Out-of-control government spending and a cloud of uncertainty have played a major role in slowing the economic recovery,” Pickerel said.

“ABC believes the ‘Pledge to America’ includes the commonsense reforms and fiscal responsibility that our economy and our nation desperately need.  That is why ABC strongly supports this effort, and we look forward to working with Congress to promote free enterprise, open competition and a less intrusive government,” said Pickerel

####

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association with 77 chapters representing 25,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms with two million employees. Visit us at www.abc.org.