The Biden administration announced $772.6 million Wednesday to support more than 200 projects in rural communities, addressing high-speed internet, drinking water and wastewater.
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Category: Legislative Updates
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What happened: Highway and bridge construction finished 2023 on a high note – the total value of highway activity was $7.2 billion in December, jumping 27 percent compared to December 2022. The total value of work was $111.2 billion, up 19 percent over 2022. Bridge work was also up in December (+20 percent) and YTD (+12 percent).
Annual market activity was also strong for airport runway work, rail and transit terminal construction, and Class I railroad investments.
Why it matters: Current market activity – or the Value of Construction Put in Place –is released by the U.S. Census Bureau and tracks the work completed on a project each month, regardless of the total size of a project or when it was awarded. As projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) are put out to bid and contractors start to work, the value of construction and overall market activity has also increased.
Four national trade associations petitioned the White House to make improvements in its implementation of “made in America” requirements for construction products and materials. They noted their members have encountered significant difficulty in navigating the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) “opaque and unbalanced implementation,” risking delays and cost increases for vital housing, transportation, and water infrastructure projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.
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Groups working to help farmers and consumers get legal rights to the information and parts they want to fix equipment are pushing the Federal Trade Commission for regulations on manufacturers’ repair policies.
The FTC is analyzing a petition submitted earlier this year by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund and iFixit seeking “a rule protecting the right to repair,” while also considering more than 1,800 comments on the matter submitted by parties on both sides of the fight. The FTC could grant or deny the petition in whole or in part, according to a Federal Register notice. It could also “deem the petition insufficient to warrant commencement of a rulemaking proceeding.”
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Up against another government shutdown deadline, Congress approved another funding extension to March. Both sides gave some in the negotiations to satisfy majorities in Congress. However, House Speaker Johnson is slowly losing key Republican support which 1) then requires more Democratic support on future funding votes and 2) raises questions on his ability to lead House Republicans.
On the tax front, House Ways and Means Committee today begins consideration of a $80 billion bipartisan tax bill. The bill under consideration would restore companies’ ability to deduct the entire cost of certain equipment or capital expenditures and makes it easier to deduct interest expenses. Amendments on repeal of the death tax are expected in be introduced.
According to AgriPulse, the Supreme Court appeared open Wednesday to the idea of dumping, or at least trimming the scope of a 40-year-old legal doctrine that says judges should defer to “reasonable” agency interpretations of statutes in cases where Congress has not been clear enough.
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Farmers and ranchers would like to see increased crop insurance subsidies and commodity price supports in the new farm bill, and a strong majority support cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to an exclusive Agri-Pulse producer poll.
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This week, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the open application period for the 2024 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative. The grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the US and the territories NACD serves.
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There’s nothing quite like the fresh start of a new year to charge forward in getting work done. After all the holiday decorations are put away and the college bowl games have wrapped up, many of us start making our resolutions for the year ahead. Just like with any big task, it’s important to get started right away—or the work may never get done. That’s why when it comes to our policy resolutions and priorities, Farm Bureau is calling on Congress to get right to work this January for agriculture and our nation’s food supply.
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Both the short-term and long-term futures of the equipment manufacturing industry are poised to be defined by a number of impactful trends in 2024 (and, in many cases, beyond).
It’s crucially important for the industry to understand these trends and how they are expected to evolve over time. Perhaps more importantly, however, equipment manufacturers must possess a strong idea of how these trends will impact their organizations and the customers they serve.
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