On March 13, a bipartisan group of ten U.S. Representatives visited the ABC Metro Washington Chapter’s CraftMasters Training Trust. House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) led the delegation to the 10,000-square-foot facility in Beltsville, Md., and met with Chapter President Debbie Livingston, instructors and enrollees in the programs. 

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.

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."

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.

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.

February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) month, and it comes at the perfect time to celebrate the students, teachers and industry partners who are growing the career readiness of America’s construction workforce. 

Chuck Goodrich, president of Gaylor Electric, Inc., explained the Trump administration’s regulatory rollback is giving construction companies more efficiency and they don’t feel like they are “under attack” from the federal government. According to Goodrich’s presentation, experts say President Trump is on pace to put out fewer rules than the “reigning deregulation champion,” President Ronald Reagan.

ABC congratulates Justin Baker, executive vice president of Gaylor Electric in Mooresville, N.C., for being named ABC's Young Professional of the Year. Baker accepted the award Nov. 8 during ABC's Leadership Week Conference in Orlando, Fla. 

On Nov. 13, ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman participated in the first meeting of the U.S. Department of Labor’s task force on apprenticeship expansion. Timed to coincide with the first day of National Apprenticeship Week, the task force is responsible for identifying strategies and proposals to expand and promote apprenticeship opportunities. 

The ABC student chapter at the University of Cincinnati was named the 2017 Student Chapter of the Year for its accomplishments in programming, community service, communications and public relations and interaction with its sponsor, the ABC Ohio Valley Chapter, during the academic year. Colorado State University, sponsored by the ABC Rocky Mountain Chapter, was named the Construction Management Competition (CMC) overall winner of 2017.