On Jan. 7, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) President and CEO Brian P. McGuire delivered a strong message to Capitol Hill urging swift, bipartisan action to spur economic growth and job creation in a letter outlining the association’s policy agenda for the 114th Congress.

The association recommends a series of key actions to make it easier for construction equipment distributors to succeed by reducing costs of doing business and expanding product markets, including the association’s top priority — providing long-term certainty to the federal highway program.

“Restoring stability to federal transportation programs before construction season commences will help sustain and create millions of jobs in the equipment industry, the construction sector and the broader economy,” said McGuire.

Additionally, AED urged reinstating capital investment incentives, which have been proven to stimulate growth.

“Parceled together,” the letter stated, “a highway bill, [reinstatement of] bonus depreciation, and higher Sec. 179 levels would be powerful medicine to bolster the construction, distribution, and manufacturing sectors and put the economy on track for years of prosperity.”

“We have a new year, a new Congress, and a new Senate majority. It’s time for renewed action,” said Christian A. Klein, AED’s vice president of government affairs. “AED will not let the 114th Congress continue legislating by crisis, limping along on patches and plugs and short-term fixes to fabricated emergencies.”

“AED members face real challenges and it’s time for Congress to do the people’s work and provide responsible, long-term policy solutions to restore economic certainty,” said McGuire. “There will be consequences if lawmakers don’t have the political will to do what’s needed to put our economy on solid footing.”

In addition to restoring certainty to the federal highway program and incentivizing capital investment, AED urges Congress to ensure adequate water infrastructure investment, simplify the tax code, expand domestic energy development, address the skilled, technical worker shortage and reform the Affordable Care Act.

For more information, visit www.aednet.org/government-affairs.

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