Letters to the Hill Banner

THE VOICE OF THE MERIT SHOP

ABC is the voice of the merit shop on Capitol Hill! Sending letters to Congress allows ABC to publicly advocate for the views and interests of our more than 23,000 members. By corresponding with U.S. House of Representatives and Senate members, ABC promotes fair and open competition in the construction industry and fights to protect merit shop contractors around the country.

ABC Supports One, Big, Beautiful Bill as Senate Kicks off Vote-a-Rama

ABC Supports One, Big, Beautiful Bill as Senate Kicks off Vote-a-Rama:

On June 30, the U.S. Senate began deliberations on their version of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act after passing a key procedural vote this past weekend. On June 27, ABC sent a Key Vote letter to the U.S. House and Senate, urging members of Congress to support the bill which includes key tax relief for contractors. ABC also joined a group of organizations representing millions of Main Street businesses in a June 28 letter expressing strong support of the package. ABC supported provisions of the OBBB would:

  • Make the Small Business Deduction Permanent
  • Provide Permanent Estate Tax Relief
  • Restore 100% Bonus Depreciation
  • Revive Expensing of R&D Costs
  • Eliminate tax on Overtime for American Workers
  • Expand 529 Accounts for Skilled Trades Training

The Motion to Proceed to debate the bill on the Senate floor passed in a 51-49 vote, with Senators Thom Tillis, R-N.C. and Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting against the measure. The bill is now in its early stages of a series of votes nicknamed “vote-a-rama,” where the Senate will consider any number of amendments to the package, a process expected to take several hours. Keep in mind, under Senate rules, reconciliation bills can pass the Senate with a simple majority, overriding Senate filibuster rules that typically require a 60-vote supermajority. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but Tillis and Paul are both unlikely to change their minds on Trump’s key agenda item, leaving Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., with a slim margin to pass the package. A third GOP defector would force Vice President JD Vance to break the tie, while a fourth would kill the bill all together.

If the Senate approves the package, it will head back to the House where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will face yet another challenge in corralling his Conference. Notably, the House passed their version of the OBBB at the end of May in a slim 215-214-1 vote. The Senate’s version now includes steeper cuts to Medicaid and a phase out of the $40,000 state and local tax deduction cap, not to mention an $800 billion increase to the deficit. These present a clear and present threat to Johnson’s hopes of getting the package through the Chamber and to the president’s desk ahead of their July 4 deadline.