On Dec. 10, the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship held a hearing titled, “Running Government Like a Small Business: Cut Waste, Crush Fraud.” Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the committee urging lawmakers to roll back federal policies that undermine small construction firms, particularly the White House’s continued enforcement of mandated PLAs on major federal projects. ABC emphasized that small firms make up the overwhelming majority of the industry and cannot absorb the cost or complexity of these mandates.

“No small business would survive if it limited itself to hiring from a pool of just 10% of the workforce, yet the federal government is attempting to do exactly that,” the letter stated. ABC urged Congress to adopt business-minded, competitive practices that empower all qualified contractors and protect taxpayers.

On Nov. 19, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship held a hearing titled, “Trump’s Regulatory Rollback: Saving Americans $907 Billion and Counting,” with Casey Mulligan, chief counsel for advocacy for the U.S. Small Business Administration.” Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the committee supporting deregulation by the Trump administration, including their commitment to institute a new independent contractor rule and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s interim final rule on beneficial ownership reporting requirements.

During the hearing, Committee Chair Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., expressed support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Waters of the United States rule. “This proposed rule… will help end this government overreach for our farmers, landowners and small business owners,” she noted.

While ABC expressed support for part of the administration’s reg rollback, it also called out the administration for failing to repeal Biden’s executive order and subsequent final rule mandating project labor agreements on federal construction projects of $35 million or more.

On Sept. 10, the House Committee on Small Business's Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure held the hearing, Leveling the Playing Field: Fostering Opportunities for Small Business Contractors. Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the committee, noting the construction industry's high concentration of small businesses and role in building America's infrastructure. The letter expressed concern with President Donald Trump's decision to continue the Biden administration's project labor agreement mandate and urged the President to reverse course, end government-mandated PLAs and implement a policy that supports fair and open competition in the federal procurement process.

On July 23, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing titled, “The Road Ahead: Proposals to Improve America’s Transportation Infrastructure.” Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the committee calling on them to prioritize fair and open competition and an all-of-the-above approach to workforce development as it crafts the Surface Transportation Act reauthorization.

On July 1, a diverse group of lawmakers from around the country sent letters to President Trump urging him to rescind the Biden-era rule requiring PLAs on federal construction projects of $35 million or more. 95 members of the U.S. House and 21 members of the U.S. Senate signed the letters, expressing serious concerns over the administration’s decision to double down on a policy that is inherently exclusionary, anti-competitive and costly for American taxpayers.

On May 20, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management held the hearing, "Federal Courthouse Design and Construction: Examining the Costs to the Taxpayer." Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the subcommittee, highlighting how the Biden administration's project labor agreement mandate increases federal courthouse construction costs. ABC noted several courthouse construction and improvement projects, totaling several hundred million dollars, that require a PLA as a result of the mandate. In his opening statement, Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., entered ABC's letter into the hearing record. 

In response to a request from the Office of Management and Budget for stakeholder recommendations to cut federal red tape, ABC submitted a letter outlining arguments for rescinding 10 final rules promulgated by the Biden administration, including project labor agreement mandates, Davis-Bacon Act updates, overtime, independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA walkaround and the noncompete clause ban, as well as withdrawing the heat rule as proposed.

On Feb. 26, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing, “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Implementation and Case Studies.” Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter expressing concern that the Biden administration’s pro-project labor agreement policies were limiting opportunities for all Americans to participate on federal and federally assisted construction projects, raising costs for taxpayers.

On Feb. 5, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing, Rightsizing Government. The hearing focused on eliminating waste, fraud and abuse by the federal government. Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the Committee highlighting how the Biden administration’s Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects final rule eliminated merit-based federal contracting and increased taxpayer costs by 12-20%. The letter urged Congress and the Trump administration to Congress and the Trump administration have the opportunity to restore merit to federal contracting by advancing fair and open competition. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who serves on the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs, entered ABC’s letter into the hearing record. The Congressman's remarks may be seen here. 

On Jan. 9, ABC and a diverse group of two dozen construction and business groups sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump urging him to eliminate President Joe Biden’s final rule implementing Executive Order 14063 requiring federal construction contracts of $35 million or more to be subjected to anti-competitive and inflationary project labor agreements. The coalition letter also called for the repeal of additional Biden administration policies pushing PLA mandates and preferences on federally assisted construction projects procured by private developers and local and state governments.

“In place of these failed Biden administration policies, we request a new executive order that restricts government-mandated PLAs and restores robust fair and open competition on federal and federally assisted construction projects,” said the coalition letter. “This will save taxpayers an estimated $10 billion per year on public works projects annually and restore opportunities for all of the construction industry to rebuild America."

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