Archive for October 2024

The 2024 Presidential Election and Congressional Races The 2024 Presidential Election remains extremely close with the margins measuring in tenths of percentage points with Vice President Harris and former President Trump separated by less than a single point in six of the seven swing states.  Arizona, where former President Trump has a 1.4 point edge,…

ASA Supports: FAR Case 2023-003 – Prohibition on the Use of Reverse Auctions for Complex, Specialized, or Substantial Design and Construction Services On September 13, 2024, we highlighted that the Department of Defense (DOD), the General Services Administration (GSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced their proposal to amend the Federal Acquisition…

ASA Supports the Permanent Repeal of the Estate Tax! ASA, along with the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition (FBETC), submitted comments regarding the estate tax as part of the Ways and Means Committee’s Tax Teams information gathering process. ASA has supported the full and permanent repeal of the estate tax. Absent full and permanent repeal,…

Empowering Subcontractors: ASA’s Advocacy 101 Podcast Series ASA is pleased to offer the latest episodes of its podcast, this time focusing on its advocacy mission with Director of Government Relations, Mike Oscar. This nine-part series offers an in-depth exploration of advocacy’s crucial role for Subcontractors at both federal and local levels. Why Advocacy Matters In…

The U.S. Department of Commerce Announces End of Nearly Yearlong Investigation into Illegal Imports of Aluminum Extrusions Per the U.S. Department of Commerce’s findings, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam sold dumped and subsidized aluminum extrusions into the U.S., violating international trade…

SBA and FEMA Need Disaster Relief Funding! Eight days into the fiscal year, the federal government has spent nearly half the disaster relief that Congress has allocated for the next 12 months, which soon will force the Federal Emergency Management Agency to restrict spending unless Congress approves additional funding. On September 4th and recently, President…

HHS Emergency Response for Hurricanes Helene and Milton The recent hurricanes have sent the Department of Health and Human Services into emergency response mode as the agency seeks to ensure the storms have minimal impact on health care delivery. Since Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend of Florida on September 26th, HHS has…

The Supreme Court Begins its New Nine-Month Term The Supreme Court has begun its new nine-month term. The Court will hear cases concerning guns, transgender rights, online pornography, and workplace discrimination. This week’s arguments are set for two cases; one on a procedural dispute concerning unemployment compensation and the other involved deciding the proper jurisdiction…

This Week in Congress Election Day is less than 25 days away and polls continue to suggest a breathtakingly close race nationally and a margin-of-error contest in key states. Attention in Washington, D.C. right now is properly focused on the outcome of the presidential and congressional elections. Additionally, this week, the Supreme Court started its new…

Port Strike Averted Dockworkers at U.S. East and Gulf coast ports ended their strike last week with port owners by reaching a tentative agreement on wages.  The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) agreed to extend their contract until January 15th.  Container ports from Houston to Miami and up to Boston were closed for three days due…