Archive for March 2024

This Week in Congress Congress has reached a funding agreement for the six remaining FY24 appropriations bills prior to the March 22nd government shutdown deadline. Those six bills include: Defense, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch, and State-Foreign Operations. The House voted on a slate of energy-related legislation as part of their “Energy Week.”…

FY24 War Supplemental? Per Senate Armed Services Chairman Reed, “the Defense Department will be in ‘unknown country’ if Congress does not pass supplemental funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.” Chairman Reed implored the House to pass the $95.3 billion aid package (H.R. 815) suggesting that the Pentagon will face budgetary challenges without the influx of…

Update on the Federal Aviation Authorization (FAA) Reauthorization Bill Senators from Virginia and Maryland are urging lawmakers negotiating the Federal Aviation Authorization (FAA) Reauthorization bill to omit provisions that would add long-distance flight slots to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a controversial issue that threatened to hold up the bill in the past. A perimeter…

SCOTUS and Social Media The U.S. Supreme Court appeared ready to allow Biden administration officials to communicate with social media companies, as multiple justices sounded skeptical that the government violated free speech rights when it encouraged the removal of posts with misinformation. The justices heard oral arguments over a ruling from a U.S. Court of…

ASA Calls for the Delayed Implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) ASA, along with the Small Business Legislative Counsel (SBLC), sent a letter to the Senate Banking Committee Chairs urging to delay the filing deadlines of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) by passing S. 3625, the Protect Small Business and Prevent Illicit Financial Activity…

This Week in Congress This week, the House voted on legislation to ban TikTok in the United States unless it spins off from Chinese-owned ByteDance Ltd.  President Joe Biden said he would sign the bill if it reached his desk.  Additionally, the House voted on a bill that would require the General Services Administration (GSA)…

ASA’s Andrew Christ Hosts SBA Administrator Guzman On Monday, Andrew Christ, an ASA Board Member and owner of Compass Constructors located in Kansas City, (MO), hosted the Small Business Administrator (SBA) Guzman at his company.  The SBA Administrator spent about ninety minutes with Andrew and his colleagues visiting his facility and discussing ways in which…

ASA Supports H.R.4366 – the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 ASA, along with the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), sent a letter to Congress stating that infrastructure investment spurs job creation and economic growth, and to maximize this, we urge them to vote YES on H.R. 4366, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which contains the Fiscal…

President Biden Released His FY25 Budget President Biden’s FY25 budget proposes to reduce the deficit by about $3 trillion over a decade; set a higher minimum corporate tax and a 25% minimum tax for billionaires; and protect Social Security and Medicare, affordable housing initiatives; expand preschool access; and establish a higher federal minimum wage. It…

Ukraine Funding Update Former President Trump plans to ask Speaker Johnson this week to turn any upcoming funding for Ukraine into a loan that could be paid back without interest as the war-torn country recovers. Such an approach could prove to be more politically palatable to GOP critics. Speaker Johnson has expressed support for Ukraine…