Construction Association Calls on President to Immediately End Tariffs and Quotas on Steel, Aluminum, and Lumber as First Step to Easing Pressure on Construction Costs and Supply-Chain Bottlenecks

As AGC continues to pressure the Small Business Administration (SBA) to change its approach to applications for the forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Loans over $2M, the agency finally appears to be doing just that. The agency has yet to make any announcements and details are still missing. There is, however, a growing body of anecdotal and other evidence that the agency is finally accelerating the process of forgiving these loans. Over the last three business days, AGC has received either first-hand or reliable reports that SBA has forgiven another nine of these loans (over $2M) to AGC members.

Construction Association Calls for End to Tariffs on Lumber, Steel and Aluminum in Order to Deliver Prompt Relief Instead of Imposing New Restrictions on Hiring, Training, and Work Agreements

Many Construction Firms Also Report Difficulty Finding Qualified Workers to Hire as Some Remain Reluctant to Return to Work amid Child Care Challenges and Elevated Unemployment Supplements

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and Odessa, Texas Have Worst 14-Month Construction Job Losses; Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind. and Sierra Vista-Douglas, Ariz. Lead List of 217 Metros with Job Gains

Construction Officials Say New Infrastructure Funding, Tariff Relief and Measures to Reduce Manufacturing and Delivery Delays for Key Materials Needed to Jump Start Nonresidential Activity

Annual Survey by HCSS and Associated General Contractors of America Finds Drivers and Passengers are at Greater Risk of Injury and Death in Work Zone Crashes As Officials Urge Drivers to Be Careful this Summer

Texas and Louisiana Have Worst Job Losses Since February 2020, While Utah and Idaho Top Gainers; Illinois and New Hampshire Add the Most in April, as Texas and Iowa Posts Biggest Monthly Losses

Earlier this week, AGC filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), in response to SBA’s delayed decision-making process of the PPP loans as members report they have already waited many months for SBA to act on their applications for the forgiveness of loans over $2M. SBA continues to hide the difference in the time it requires to process applications for the forgiveness of loans over and under $2M. AGC has learned that a private company is playing an apparently significant but uncertain role in the processing of applications for the forgiveness of loans over $2M.

AGC Launches Broad Effort to Increase Transparency of SBA’s Decision-Making Process Going Beyond Lawsuit, AGC Submits Detailed Request for Agency Data