On behalf of the 400 members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, I want to thank you for holding today’s hearing on “Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) by the U.S. Department of Transportation” with Secretary Buttigieg. I would like to take this opportunity to share the viewpoints of our members on several critical priorities, as Congress and the administration work to implement the historic IIJA. NSSGA represents aggregates producers and those who manufacture equipment and services that support the construction industry.

The diverse group of construction and business associations undersigned below writes in strong support of the Fair and Open Competition Act (S. 403/H.R. 1284), sponsored by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. and Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C. The Fair and Open Competition Act would prevent federal agencies and recipients of federal assistance from requiring or encouraging contractors to sign a controversial project labor agreement as a condition of winning a federal or federally assisted, taxpayer-funded construction contract.

We write in strong opposition to S. 3609, the “Gas Prices Relief Act of 2022” and the companion bill the “Gas Prices Relief Act” introduced in the House today. These bills will only further weaken the federal Highway Trust Fund and are shortsighted, since the gasoline excise tax is helping to pay for the historic “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)” just passed in November of last year. While we understand the pain Americans are feeling at the pump and throughout the economy due to rising inflation, a gas tax holiday is not the answer to this problem.

Suspending the federal gasoline tax in the name of “economic relief” is misguided and could undermine the recently enacted and bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The national associations and labor unions of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) and the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) coalition strongly oppose the S. 3609, the Gas Price Relief Act of 2022.

On behalf of the 400 members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, I am writing to share our strong opposition to policies that would diminish revenue sources used to fund the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). Specifically, we call on Congress to reject S. 3609, which would suspend collection of the $00.184 -per-gallon federal user fee on gasoline. This funding is critical to support infrastructure projects which greatly benefit American families and businesses.

Our coalition of public and private sector stakeholders in the transportation industry first write to extend our appreciation for the robust transportation infrastructure funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate played a critical role in the development and passage of this historic legislation that will benefit the entire country.

The undersigned business trade groups call on Congress and the Administration to end efforts to pass the multi-trillion-dollar tax increase included in the Build Back Better (BBB) bill and focus instead on the challenges confronting American families and businesses today – rising prices, labor shortages, and ongoing supply chain constraints. Today’s Consumer Price Index report showing inflation rising at the fastest rate in forty years has our members understandably alarmed.

On behalf of the over 400-members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), I am writing to express our opposition to H.R. 5805, the “Buffalo Tract Protection Act,” as it would permanently ban future aggregate production in areas of central New Mexico, severely limiting critical resources needed in the construction of infrastructure and public works projects for this growing region. H.R. 5805 would set bad policy by permanently banning aggregate production on tracts of federal land in central New Mexico.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) President and CEO Michael Johnson issued the following statement regarding the House passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by a vote of 228-206.

“This is a monumental moment for our industry, and it has been greatly needed for quite some time. NSSGA appreciates the House of Representatives for passing this bill ahead of the next short-term extension deadline. 

The Administration’s Build Back Better Framework released last week would impose the OECD’s highest marginal rates on family-owned businesses and should be rejected by Congress. These businesses just survived a global pandemic and for Congress to impose massive tax hikes on them, with rates exceeding 50 percent in some cases, would be incredibly damaging. The undersigned business organizations, representing millions of Main Street businesses, call on Congress to defeat these ill-advised tax hikes.