Following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address Tuesday evening, electrical and construction industry groups voiced their approval of several points in his address, a promise to invest in upgrading aging infrastructure most of all.
The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) released a statement from CEO John Grau highlighting NECA’s work to support the administration’s goals in the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) and welcoming Trump’s call for cooperation.
"On behalf of the National Electrical Contractors Association, I want to congratulate President Trump on his call during the State of the Union to choose greatness over division and seek common ground over partisanship,” Grau said. “I thank the President for continuing to call for a bipartisan effort to rebuild America's infrastructure and strengthen America's workforce; there can be no doubt that it is no longer business as usual in Washington. The National Electrical Contractors Association, and our nearly 4,000 member companies, call on Congress and the Administration to work in a spirit of cooperation and compromise."
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) issued a statement urging lawmakers to act on Trump’s call to investments to rebuild aging and over-burdened infrastructure.
"President Trump understands that one of the most effective ways to ensure continued economic growth is through making needed investments in our roads, bridges, water systems and other public infrastructure,” AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr said in a release. “These economic benefits accrue from the expansion of new, high-paying construction career opportunities. But the more significant economic gains will come as we make our economy more efficient by relieving congestion, making drinking water safe for all and improving safety.”
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) president and CEO Michael Bellaman likewise supported infrastructure as a top priority.
“President Trump and his administration continue to prioritize policies that allow the construction industry and U.S. business community to grow our economy,” Bellaman said in a release. “From strengthening workforce development initiatives to the rollback of overly burdensome regulations, the positive economic effects of tax reform and a renewed focus on rebuilding our country’s crumbling infrastructure, the U.S. construction industry has been given the freedom and flexibility needed to thrive. This is evident in the nearly half a million jobs the construction industry has added in the last two years, record levels of work, as reported by ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator, and all-time high construction spending of more than $1.2 trillion annually."