Organization: MSCA

As part of its ongoing commitment to protecting your livelihood and setting the stage for a bright future, MCAA has secured the services of Longbow Public Policy Group to advise our MCAA Government Affairs Committee (GAC). GAC Chair, Jim Gaffney will be passing along information relative to our industry on a regular basis.

On Monday, July 28, 2025 MCAA Lobbying Firm, Longbow Public Policy Group provided the following information:

Trump Administration

White House Releases AI Action Plan as President Trump Signs EO Accelerating Federal Permitting for Data Centers and Related Infrastructure 

Last Wednesday, the White House released “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan” that details over 90 federal executive branch actions that the Administration will pursue to speed the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure, including data centers, and additional power generation they require. Among other things, the White House proposes to: (1) loosen regulations to speed data center permitting and to expand energy supplies for data centers; (2) roll back regulations that hinder AI adoption; and (3) withhold funds from states that place burdensome rules on AI technologies. The plan also calls for streamlining National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting by creating new categorical exclusions under NEPA to speed permitting and construction of new data centers.

Shortly after the release of the AI Action Plan, Wednesday evening President Trump signed an Executive Order “Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Infrastructure.” Among other things, the EO: (1) directs the Commerce Department to provide financial support—such as loans, grants, and tax incentives—for infrastructure projects related to data center energy needs, semiconductor facilities, networking equipment, or other data center or related infrastructure projects selected by the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Interior or Energy; (2) instructs federal agencies to streamline environmental reviews and permitting for data centers and related infrastructure; (3) promotes the use of Brownfield and Superfund sites as locations for data center development; and (4) directs the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Interior to authorize data center construction on appropriate federal lands under their control. 

Following these White House actions, last Thursday, the Energy Department selected the Idaho National Laboratory, the Oak Ridge Reservation, the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and the Savannah River Site as locations where it will move forward with plans for partnering with the private sector to develop data centers and other artificial intelligence infrastructure. Solicitations for these partnerships “are expected to be released in the coming months and partners could be selected by the end of the year.” DOE is also evaluating additional sites for more such public-private partnerships to develop AI infrastructure.

August 1 Deadline Approaches, Treasury Secretary Says China Trade Deal Likely to Be Extended as Administration Announces Trade Deals with Japan and Philippines   

MCAA remains engaged on tariff developments as we head towards the August 1^st deadline President Trump set for most nations to reach trade deals with the U.S. or face unilateral U.S. levies on their goods. Ahead of this deadline, trade negotiations are intensifying. Last Wednesday, President Trump announced a trade framework with Japan, placing a 15% tariff on goods imported from that nation. This lower than the 25% tariffs Trump threatened to impose on Japan beginning August 1^st. The president also said that Japan would invest $550 billion into the U.S. and would “open” its economy to American autos and rice. A White House fact sheet on the deal is available here. This comes as the Trump Administration and the European Union (EU) are making progress in negotiating a trade agreement in which the EU would accept 15% tariffs on most exports to the U.S.—similar to the agreement the Administration secured with Japan. 

Meanwhile last Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted that he will likely reach an agreement on an extension of President Trump’s upcoming trade deadline with China when he meets with his Chinese counterpart this week in Stockholm, Sweden. The 90-day delay of higher tariffs on China announced in May is set to expire August 12^th. Bessent’s remarks came after President Trump announced last Tuesday that he reached another trade deal with the Philippines.  

PHMSA Issues Memo Outlining Its Pipeline Inspection and Enforcement Priorities 

On the energy front, MCAA members should know that last Tuesday, the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a memorandum outlining PHMSA’s five pipeline inspection and enforcement priorities: (1) incidents and accidents; (2) high and moderate consequence areas; (3) control room management and leak detection; (4) damage prevention; and (5) transactions and due diligence. The memorandum issued the same day House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Ranking Member Dina Titus (D-NV) sent a letter to PHMSA expressing concern about the lack of safety actions by the agency since President Trump took office. The lawmakers cited several examples since January 20^th, including a dramatic decline in enforcement of pipeline safety violations, the departures of senior career officials, and the failure to post requirement monthly updates on the regulatory actions the agency is pursuing.

White House Announces NLRB Nominees and FERC Nominee

As MCAA continues urging the Senate to advance the MCAA-endorsed nomination of David Keeling to lead OSHA, we are also tracking many other nominations relevant to our industry. On July 16^th that President Trump sent the Senate two nominees for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). One is Boeing’s Chief Labor Counsel, Scott Mayer, nominated to fill a five year term expiring December 16, 2029. He will fill the opening created by the President’s firing of Board Member Lauren McFerran, a Democrat. The other is James Murphy, a former career NLRB attorney, who was nominated to a five year term ending in December 16, 2027 to fill the seat formerly held by Republican NLRB member John Ring. President Trump also nominated David LaCerte to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). 

DOL Highlights Several “Self-Audit” Programs to Help Employers, Unions Voluntarily Assess and Improve Their Compliance with Federal Labor and Employment Laws

MCAA continues to be involved on many issues at the U.S. Department of Labor, building on the Deputy Secretary of Labor’s participation in out May policy conference in Washington, DC. On Thursday, the Labor Department shared with MCAA highlights of several “self-audit” programs to help employers, unions, and pension plans voluntarily assess and improve their compliance with federal labor and employment laws. The Wage and Hour Division is restarting the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program to enable employers to self-identify and resolve minimum wage, overtime, and leave violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Family and Medical Leave Act. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is increasing its efforts to support voluntary compliance by expanding its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), which exempts from OSHA’s programmed inspection schedule participating employers that have effective safety and health management systems and maintain injury and illness rates below the national average. OSHA is also increasing resources for its On-Site Consultation Program, which offers no-cost and confidential safety and health services to small and medium-sized businesses. The Employee Benefits Security Administration is reminding the public of two self-correction programs for fiduciaries and benefits plan administrators, the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program, which encourages employers and plan officials to voluntarily correct violations of ERISA, and the Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program, which encourages voluntary compliance with ERISA’s annual reporting requirements and offers incentives to late filers, including reduced penalties. And the Veterans Employment and Training Service launched a new program called Support and Assistance for Leaders in USERRA Training and Employment (SALUTE), to help employers review their policies and practices under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

OSHA Updates Field Operations Manual Penalty Guidelines

MCAA members, especially smaller employers, should know that on July 14^th the Labor Department announced changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Field Operations Manual to “minimize the burden on small businesses and increase prompt hazard abatement.” The new policy, outlined in the Penalties and Debt Collection section of OSHA’s Field Operations Manual,makes more employers eligible for reductions to penalties imposed by OSHA. For example, a penalty reduction level of 70%, which was previously only applicable to businesses with 10 or fewer employees, has been expanded to include businesses employing up to 25 workers. The revisions also include new guidelines for a 15% penalty reduction for employers who immediately take steps to address or correct a hazard. Additionally, the updated policy expands the penalty reduction for employers without a history of serious, willful, repeat, or failure-to-abate OSHA violations. Under OSHA’s revised policy, employers who have never been inspected by federal OSHA or an OSHA State Plan, as well as employers who have been inspected in the previous five years and had no serious, willful, or failure-to-abate violations, are eligible for a 20% penalty reduction if they are cited for OSHA violations. The new policies are effective immediately but do not apply to OSHA citations issued before July 14, 2025. The new policy does apply to citations that arise from investigations that were opened before July 14^th but for which penalties are issued after that date.

OBBBA Implementation

Interior Announces Implementation Plan for Energy Measures Included in GOP Reconciliation Bill 

Following MCAA’s successful advocacy to shape the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” as recounted in our prior updates, MCAA is now focused on implementation of this sweeping law. To that end, we were pleased to confirm on that the Interior Department plans to implement energy measures enacted the “One Big, Beautfiul Bill Act” (OBBBA) through expedited rulemakings on provisions related to oil and gas development, water infrastructure, and hydropower. Interior plans expedited regulatory action on OBBBA provisions mandating: (1) at least two offshore lease sales in the Gulf of America each year through 2039; (2) quarterly onshore lease sales in Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Nevada and Alaska; (3) elimination of “expression of interest” fees paid by lessees to nominate land for onshore oil and gas development leases; (4) that upon approval, a permit to drill for onshore oil and gas projects will now be valid for a four-year period; (5) an accelerated permitting process for major water infrastructure projects, including dams, canals and reservoirs; and (6) expanded access to hydropower development on federal dams, with streamlined licensing and priority for water storage projects that include power generation.

IRS Releases Taxpayer-Friendly Descriptions on Key Provisions of the GOP Reconciliation Bill

MCAA should also be aware that Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released taxpayer-friendly descriptions detailing eligibility standards for four key provisions of the President’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”—including the “No Taxes on Overtime” provision that is effective from 2025 through 2028. For the OBBBA’s no taxes on overtime, note that the deduction phases out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income over $150,000 ($300,000 for joint filers) and employers are required to file information returns with the IRS (or Social Security Administration) and furnish statements to taxpayers showing the total amount of qualified overtime compensation paid during the year.

Congress

House and Senate Working on Legislation to Speed Permitting and Environmental Reviews

As House lawmakers departed for the August recess last Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said that GOP leadership plans to work on advancing long-awaited permitting reform legislation this fall. Scalise said the current plan is to advance a standalone bill that, ideally, would be the product of a bipartisan deal with Democrats. Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Republicans on several other committees are working on the legislation, but it’s unclear if House Democrats would strike an agreement with Republicans. Scalise’s comments come after Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Scott Peters (D-CA) recently introduced the “ePermit Act” to digitize the federal government’s permitting process and reduce processing time for National Environmental Policy Act reviews.

In the Senate, the MCAA monitored a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing last Wednesday where Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said that she and Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are working on legislation to reform the environmental review permitting process for federal construction projects. We were pleased to hear Chair Capito says she is hopeful they can get a bill to the President’s desk. During the hearing, Capito asked President Trump’s nominee to lead the Council on Environmental Quality, Katherine Scarlett, if she would commit to implementing any new permitting and environmental review reforms passed by Congress. Scarlett confirmed that she would. 

House Energy and Water Subcommittee Advances FY26 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill to Full Appropriations Committee 

As SWACCA continues its advocacy for nuclear energy, on July 17th, we were pleased to see the House Appropriations Committee advance the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill to the full House Appropriations Committee by a vote of 35-27. The bill funds small modular reactor and advanced reactor demonstration projects and increases funding for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to expand capacity for reviewing and licensing new nuclear reactors to achieve the President’s goal of expanding nuclear energy capacity to 400 gigawatts by 2050. The text of the bill is available here, a summary of the bill is available here, and a list of the earmarks included in the bill are available here.

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on NLRB General Counsel Nominee 

On July 16^th, the MCAA monitored the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s hearing on the nomination of Crystal Carey to be the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) General Counsel, as well as nominees for the EEOC and Department of Health and Human Services. In a notable exchange during the hearing, GOP Sen. Josh Hawley (R) said he’s worried about Ms. Carey refusing to enforce NLRB precedent that she disagrees with, particularly the Board’s November 2024 decision outlawing mandatory anti-union, captive audience meetings after Carey publicly criticized the decision, saying it went too far in limiting the ability of employers to communicate with workers. Senator Hawley’s concerns are notable as the HELP Committee has 12 Republicans and 11 Democrats, so Carey’s nomination could fail to advance if Hawley and all the Democrats vote against her. In a separate exchange with Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Carey also refused to say whether the NLRB is constitutional, adding that the question will ultimately be decided by the courts. In a sign that Republicans may have issues advancing Carey’s nomination, the Senate HELP Committee held a markup last Thursday to consider several nominees—including the EEOC and HHS nominees who were on the same hearing panel as Carey—that notably did not include Carey. This makes it unlikely that her nomination could be acted on before the Senate recesses. 

Democrats Introduce Bill to Establish a Federal Standard to Protect Workers in High-Heat Environments

As the MCAA continues to engage the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on the agency’s heat injury and illness rulemaking, Congress jumped into the issue on July 16^th. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) introduced the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act to implement federal enforceable workplace heat stress protections at indoor and outdoor settings. The legislation aligns closely with OSHA’s pending proposed rule that MCAA has been engaged on since it published last year, but goes further in certain respects. 

The bill would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish an enforceable federal standard to protect workers in high-heat environments and mandates an interim final standard within one year of enactment of the legislation. The bill applies to workers across all industries and requires that any standard OSHA issues pursuant to this measure require employers provide paid rest breaks, water or other suitable hydration, and shaded or cooled spaces to recover from the heat. The bill would also require OSHA to set limits on the amount of time workers are exposed to high heat, and to ensure emergency response for workers with heat-related illness. Additionally, employers would have to provide training for their employees on the risk factors that can lead to heat illness and guidance on the proper procedures for responding to symptoms. The legislation also requires employers to provide training and hazard advisories to their employees about heat stress in the language their employees understand and, in a format appropriate for their literacy and education levels. 

The Senate bill currently lacks bipartisan support, but is cosponsored by 23 democratic senators, including Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The House bill is cosponsored by 98 House Democrats and one republican members—New York Representative Mike Lawler. A one-pager on the bill is available here, a section-by-section of the bill is available here, and the full bill text of the bill is available here.

MCAA Issues and Interests 

Project Labor Agreements

Republican Senators Send Letter to President Trump Urging Him to Repeal MCAA-Supported, Biden-era Final Rule Mandating PLAs on Federal Construction Projects 

MCAA remains engaged defending Project Labor Agreements following the OMB guidance we helped to secure expressing the Trump Administration’s support for PLAs. As we continue educating members about PLAs, on July 16^th Alabama Senators Britt and Tuberville released a July 1st letter they sent asking President Trump to rescind the Biden-era, MCAA-supported final rule mandating project labor agreements on federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more. They sent this letter with full awareness of the successful lobbying effort in June that resulted in the White House Office of Management and Budget issuing a memo clarifying that the “Trump Administration supports the use of PLAs when those agreements are practicable and cost effective, and blanket deviations prohibiting the use of PLAs are precluded.”

In the letter, the Alabama Senators and 19 other republican Senators insisted that the EO “threatens the competitiveness of infrastructure bids, increases construction costs, and delays work on federal construction contracts procured by federal agencies.” We find it notable that the letter was only signed by 21 of the 53 Senate Republicans: (1) Tommy Tuberville (AL); (2) Katie Britt (AL); (3) Jim Banks (IN); (4) John Barrasso (WY); (5) Ted Budd (NC); (6) Bill Cassidy (LA); (7) Kevin Cramer (ND); (8) Lindsey Graham (SC); (9) Chuck Grassley (IA); (10) John Hoeven (ND); (11) Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS); (12) Jim Justice (WV); (13) Cynthia Lummis (WY); (14) Mitch McConnell (KY); (15) Rand Paul (KY); (16) Mike Rounds (SD); (17) Rick Scott (FL); (18) Tim Scott (SC); (19) Thom Tillis (NC); (20) Roger Wicker (MS); and (21) Todd Young (IN). This means that only 40% of the Senate GOP Caucus and no Democrats oppose PLAs, which is well short of the threshold needed to pass any PLA legislation in the Senate. This is a testament to the ongoing education effort MCAA and its allies are undertaking to debunk myths about PLAs, including through continued dissemination of the groundbreaking 2022 Independent Project Analysis study of PLAs sponsored by the MCAA and subsequent studies like the Illinois Economic Policy Institute report MCAA highlighted in March.

Bid Protest Filed in Federal Court of Claims over PLA Requirements in U.S. Navy Contract in Hawaii

While MCAA and its allies are making progress in the battel over PLAs, last week we were reminded that opponents of PLAs are not giving up. Specifically, last Monday, a non-union company called Environmental Chemical Corp. filed a bid protest at the U.S. Federal Court of Claims against project labor agreement (PLA) requirements in a U.S. Navy contract for pavement replacement at a Hawaii airfield. The complaint directly challenges President Biden’s PLA Executive Order and cites the Court of Claims’ January 21, 2025 ruling in MVL USA Inc. v. United States in which the Court of Claims held that a PLA pursuant to the Biden Executive Order violates full and open competition requirements of the Competition in Contracting Act and struck the PLA language in the contested bid documents. MCAA is monitoring this case as it continues its advocacy on PLAs.

Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage

GSA ICR to Allow Electronic Submission of Construction Payrolls and Basic Records for Davis-Bacon Projects 

On July 18^th, the General Services Administration (GSA) published a notice seeking comments on proposed revisions to its information collection request (ICR) for Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.222-8 “Payrolls and Basic Records” requiring United States construction contracts in excess of $2,000 subject to Davis-Bacon prevailing wage to submit a copy of all payrolls to the Contracting Officer weekly for each week in which any contract work is performed. The revisions to this ICR would allow construction contractors to use an electronic means to submit the required weekly payroll data, rather than requiring that the data be submitted in hard copy format. Comments are due by September 16, 2025 and can be submitted through the federal eRulemaking portal here by searching “Information Collection 3090–0326; Construction Payrolls and Basic Records.”

Registered Apprenticeship

SCOTUS Allows Education Dept. and DOL to Implement Agreement to Letting DOL to Take Over Administration of Ed Dept.’s Management of Career and Technical Education

MCAA members interested in federal policy regarding workforce training and registered apprenticeship programs should be aware that the Supreme Court’s July 14^th ruling that lifted the injunction on the Trump Administration terminating Education Department staff also lifted a freeze on a May agreement between the Labor Department (DOL) and the Education Department allowing DOL to take over administering grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts that the Education Department has previously managed for career and technical education programs at high schools, community colleges, and other training facilities, as well as literacy and post-secondary education services for adults. DOL and the Education Department have begun implementing their May agreement to advance the President’s plan to consolidate Education’s literacy, adult education, and vocational training programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Perkins V into DOL and is likely to result in new grant solicitations for these programs that are more focused on the real-world workplace needs of workers and employers.

Independent Contractors and Misclassification of Workers 

MCAA Lobbies to Oppose “Modern Worker Empowerment Act”

As we noted in our last MCAA Government Affairs Committee report, MCAA has been opposed to H.R. 1319, the “Modern Worker Empowerment Act” legislation to the extent it would make it easier to classify more workers in our industry as independent contractors and place law-abiding MCAA members at a competitive disadvantage to employers who want to avoid paying overtime, workers compensation, and other costs customarily associated with an employer-employee relationship. 

As part of this ongoing advocacy effort, the MCAA sent a letter opposing the bill ahead of a House Education and Workforce Committee markup last Wednesday. The letter explains that the legislation would “place law-abiding employers at a competitive disadvantage as unscrupulous competitors use this narrow standard to evade their duty to confirm the employment authorization of workers and their obligations to pay employment taxes, workers’ compensation, overtime, and other expenses.” The letter also notes that MCAA members “increasingly find themselves competing with companies that underbid them by dissociating themselves from the traditional obligations of being an employer” and that the bill would accelerate “a ‘race to the bottom’ in the construction industry that has caused work in the skilled trades to no longer be family-sustaining work in a growing number of markets across the nation.” 

During the hearing, Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) entered the MCAA’s letter and two others into the hearing record (see it on video here). At the end of the markup, H.R. 1319 was advanced out to the full House on a party line vote of 19-16. GOP Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Michael Rulli (R-OH) did not vote on the bill. With the House going into the August recess last Wednesday and the coming focus in September on avoiding a government shutdown, we do not yet know what plans, if any, Republicans have for bringing the bill to the floor. But, at this time, MCAA is hopeful it can prevent this legislation from becoming law this year. 

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Independent Contractors 

Relatedly, on July 17^th, the MCAA monitored the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s hearing entitled, “Freedom to Work: Unlocking Benefits for Independent Workers.” The hearing was a discussion of a series of bills Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Rand Paul (R-KY) have offered to facilitate more workers being treated as independent contractors instead of employees. During the hearing, Committee Chair Cassidy argued that these legislative proposals give workers “flexibility, making it clear what legally constitutes an independent contractor” and increases contractors’ “access to health care and retirement accounts, like solo 401(k)s” along the lines of what workers who are employees receive. Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) countered that the bills were “not about giving workers the freedom to work” but were about “giving corporations the freedom to deny workers the right to form a union…they’re about giving corporations the freedom to pay workers poverty wages and deny the overtime pay they are owed.” Sanders used the hearing to introduce his “Pensions for All Act,” a messaging bill with little chance of advancing that would allow every American to have a defined benefit retirement plan equivalent to what Members of Congress receive. 

The views of the unionized construction industry were represented at the hearing by the President of the Bricklayers Union, who talked about how “misclassification of workers as independent contractors is rampant in the construction industry.” He said misclassification allows “low-road employers” to “mistreat workers as contractors, deny workers the essential protections afforded to employees, and deprive state and local governments of the tax revenue that such employment should generate.” 

Pension Reform

IRS Issues Guidance on Uncashed Retirement Plan Distribution Checks and President Trump to Signs EO Opening 401(k) to Private Markets 

As the MCAA continues to engage with the Trump Administration on pension reform, there were several items we learned of a few developments we want to highlight. First, on July 16^th, the Internal Revenue Service issued Revenue Ruling 2025-15 providing guidance on withholding and reporting issues related to uncashed qualified retirement plan distribution checks and replacement checks. 

Separately President Trump is expected to sign an executive order to help make private equity investments more available to retirement plans. The order would instruct the Labor Department and Securities and Exchange Commission to guide employers on including private assets in 401(k) plans. The order is viewed as a response to companies’ refusal to include private equity investment options in retirement plans over concerns about being sued by participants over the high fees associated with private equity investment products. These developments come as Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins said his agency is prepared to work with the Labor Department to establish guardrails for investors if they gain access to private equity in retirement plans. Private equity firms do not have the same level of required disclosures as public companies and are prone to valuation issues, so the SEC has historically prohibited ordinary investors from accessing them and restricted them to sophisticated parties who meet certain standards. 

Decarbonization

There were several notable updates on the decarbonization front over the past two weeks that we wanted to make you aware of:

EPA Proposes Repealing 2009 Endangerment Finding Allowing Agency to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

Last Wednesday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said that his agency sent a proposed rule to the White House for review that would repeal a landmark 2009 Obama-era EPA “endangerment finding” that climate change poses a danger to the public. The finding provides a legal basis for EPA regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. If the EPA succeeds in repealing the finding, it will not only allow the Administration to rescind all current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from power plants, factories, cars, and other sources, but would also prevent future administrations from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. In proposing to repeal the finding, the EPA argues that the agency overstepped its legal authority under the Clean Air Act by making a broad finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger the public welfare.

White House Delays Biden-era Rules that Industry is Unable to Implement

On July 17^th, the White House announced that President Trump signed four proclamations to grant two years of regulatory relief from “stringent Biden-era regulations that impacted various sectors vital to national security.” The first proclamation exempts more than 50 chemical manufacturers and oil refineries from requirements in the Biden EPA’s final rule on “New Source Performance Standards for the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry and Group I & II Polymers and Resins Industry” to cut emissions of toxic chemicals including ethylene oxide and other cancer-linked chemicals like chloroprene. The second proclamation exempts six coal plants from restrictions on releases of mercury, nickel, arsenic, and lead included in the Biden EPA’s “National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants:  Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Review of the Residual Risk and Technology Review” final rule. The third proclamation exempts eight producers of taconite iron ore, which is used to make steel, from requirements to reduce mercury emissions by 33% that were included in the Biden EPA’s final rule on “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Taconite Iron Ore Processing.” The fourth proclamation exempts about 40 medical device sterilizing plants from requirements to reduce 90% of their emissions of ethylene oxide that were included in the Biden EPA’s final rule on “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Ethylene Oxide Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review.”

EPA Announces Direct Final Rule to Extend Compliance Deadlines for Coal Combustion Residual Management Unit Requirements 

On July 17^th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is issuing a direct final rule and companion proposal that will extend the compliance deadlines for coal combustion residual (CCR) management unit (CCRMU) requirements. The EPA states that this rule will allow facilities to submit both sections of the Facility Evaluation Report at the same time, provided that both reports are turned in no later than February 8, 2027. The EPA is extending the groundwater monitoring requirements for owners or operators of coal combustion residual management units until August 8, 2029, at the latest. 

House Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Advancing Nuclear Energy 

Last Tuesday, MCAA closely monitored the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs held a hearing entitled, “The New Atomic Age: Advancing America’s Energy Future.” During the hearing, Republicans emphasized the “importance of expanding nuclear energy” and the “advent of small and micro modular nuclear reactors and how their development and deployment will advance the use of safe, clean, and reliable nuclear energy in the United States.” Subcommittee Ranking Member Maxwell Frost (D-FL), however, sounded a more skeptical tone towards nuclear power. He raised safety issues about nuclear power, saying that while “we are lucky that nuclear power has a relatively strong safety record in the United States…this does not mean that it is inherently safe. It means the rules and regulations that prevent a nuclear accident have helped to keep us safe for more than 45 years.” Frost then criticized the Trump Administration, saying that it is jeopardizing the promise of nuclear energy “by crippling the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and directing the agency to rubber stamp nuclear projects to get them done as fast as possible. 

Frost appeared to be referring to reports that during a meeting at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Adam Blake, a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer detailed to the NRC, reportedly told the NRC’s chair and top staff that the agency is expected to give “rubber stamp” approval to new reactors tested by the Departments of Energy or Defense. The meeting was held after President Trump signed a May 23^rd Executive Order that would supplant the NRC’s historical role as the sole agency responsible for ensuring commercial nuclear projects are safe and won’t threaten public health.

Trump Administration Working to Speed Nuclear Permitting

Last Tuesday, the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and the artificial intelligence (AI) startup Atomic Canyon announced a collaboration to streamline Nuclear Regulatory Commission permitting for new nuclear plants. The collaboration focuses on using high-performance computing assets at Oak Ridge to create “high-fidelity simulations that ensure the safety of designs while accelerating licensing with artificial intelligence to automate aspects of the review process.” The announcement comes as AI developers are increasingly looking to utilize nuclear energy to power the growing number of data centers AI requires. 

DOE Announces BWX Technologies Commissioned a New Furnace for Advance Nuclear Fuel Production

Also last Tuesday, the Energy Department announced that BWX Technologies, with support from the Energy Department’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, successfully installed and tested a chemical vapor infiltration furnace used to manufacture advanced forms of TRISO fuel that can be used in Gen-IV nuclear reactors. The new furnace expands BWXT’s TRISO fuel manufacturing capabilities at the Advanced Technologies facility in Lynchburg, Virginia and is part of a larger project supported by DOE to optimize advanced manufacturing technologies to cut the cost of microreactors.

Federal Contracting 

OMB Memo Details GSA’s Plan to Consolidate Federal Contracts 

As we continue to engage the Trump Administration on federal contracting issues, we learned that on July 18^th, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum to federal agency heads implementing President Trump’s March 20, 2025 Executive Order “Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement” and to consolidate the federal government’s contracting for “common goods and services” under the General Services Administration (GSA). While the term is not defined, an appendix to the memo suggests “common goods and services” incorporates contracts for facilities and construction, professional services, human capital, industrial products and services, and transportation and logistics.” According to the memo, priority attention for consolidation will be given to requirements that: (1) do not vary based on the mission of the agency; (2) involve highly commercialized products and services with no customization; (3) easy to standardize; and (4) allow for economies and efficiencies by reducing variation in offerings and services.

Other Interesting Things Since Our Last Report 

July 24, 2025

• A new Gallup poll found that President Trump’s approval rating dropped to 37%—the lowest level of his second term—largely due to a decline in support among independents. His approval rating has declined from 40% in June, 43% in May, and 44% in April.

July 23, 2025

• Norwegian energy giant Equinor reported mixed 2^nd quarter results as earnings were boosted by U.S. onshore gas production increasing 50% with prices rising 80% higher. But the company booked a nearly $1 billion impairment due to U.S. policy reversal on renewable energy that stalled construction of the company’s Empire Wind project off New York’s coast and created renewable energy lease issues.

• The Trump Energy Department terminated a conditional $4.9 billion loan guarantee for Grain Belt Project Phase 1 project, a giant Midwest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line to connect wind and solar capacity across Kansas and Missouri. The Energy Department said that after a review it concluded the conditions necessary to issue the guarantee are unlikely to be met and it is not critical for the federal government to have a role in supporting this project. Republicans had criticized the project as a wasteful Biden-era green energy effort.

July 22, 2025

• European pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced a $50 billion investment in the U.S. by 2030 that includes a “drug substance facility” in Virginia that will be the company’s largest single manufacturing investment in the world. Additional funds will go towards the company’s existing or planned facilities in California, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts and Texas.

• The House Republican Caucus affirmed the recommendation of the House Republican Steering Committee to make Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. Garbarino beat out Reps. Michael Guest (R-MS), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), and Clay Higgins (R-LA) for the spot after Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) announced his retirement. Among other things, the House Homeland Security Committee has oversight of physical security for critical infrastructure in the United States (including pipelines, refineries, and natural gas facilities) and border and port security.

July 21, 2025

• The Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration announced the award of $87.5 million in grants through the Small Shipyard Grant program, which supports advanced training, workforce development, and new technologies that strengthen U.S. shipbuilding and repair capabilities. Grant recipients under this announcement include: (1) $817,150 to Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp. of Salisbury, MD to support the purchase of a 160-ton rough terrain mobile crane; (2) $817,150 to Snow and Company, Inc. of Seattle, WA for the purchase of a CNC Press Brake with segmented dies and Deburring Machine; (3) $817,150 to Breaux’s Bay Craft, Inc. to support the purchase of a 200-ton Marine Travelift; (4) $817,146 to Fraser Shipyards, LLC of Superior, WI to support the purchase of a Link Belt 130-ton Telescopic Boom Rough Terrain crane; (5) $617,040 to St. Johns Ship Building Inc. of Palatka, FL to support the purchase of a Grove GRT8100 110-ton Rough Terrain Crane; (6) $599,130 to JamesBuilt, LLC of Calvert City, KY to support the purchase of a 65-ton rough terrain crane; (7) $588,902 to Heartland Fabrication, LLC of Brownsville, PA to support the purchase of a Koike Aronson PlatePro XHD Model 3700 Plasma cutting machine; (8) $447,341 to Resolve Marine, Inc. of Dutch Harbor, AK to support the purchase of a Caterpillar 980 Wheel Loader; (9) $427,596 to Master Boat Builders of Bayou La Batre, AL to support the procurement and integration of training equipment and technologies; and (10) $388,777 to Bay Ship & Yacht Co. of Alameda, CA to support the purchase of a CNC plasma arc and gas cutting equipment.

• The National Republican Congressional Committee announced it raised $32.3 million in the second quarter, compared to $29.1 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 

July 20, 2025

• Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons promised to focus on employers exploiting undocumented immigrants, saying “not only are we focused on those individuals that are, you know, working here illegally, we’re focused on these American companies that are actually exploiting these laborers.” Lyons added that ICE agents will be obtaining “criminal warrants to focus on these American businesses that are trying to make an extra dollar on the backs of these people that came here for a better life.”

• A new poll from CBS Newsfound that 57% of Americans believe the President’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” will increase the cost of their healthcare, while only 13% believe it will reduce what they pay for healthcare. 

July 18, 2025

• An arbitration panel cleared the way for Chevron to complete its $53 billion purchase of Hess, dismissing Exxon Mobil’s claim that it had a contractual right to bid for Hess’s assets in Guyana.The ruling handed down Friday from the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris resolves an often tense and long-running dispute between Chevron and Exxon Mobil. Chevron originally struck the deal for Hess in October 2023, but Exxon Mobil caused an issue in the acquisition plan last year when it asserted a right to pre-empt its rival’s bid for Hess’s 30% stake in Guyana’s prolific Stabroek offshore block. Chevron had argued a right-of-first refusal on the Guyana project wouldn’t apply to the corporate takeover of Hess. Exxon’s move to block the deal stunned the oil industry, which hadn’t seen titanic oil companies battle to these extremes since a court fight with Pennzoil forced Texaco into bankruptcy in the 1980s.

July 17, 2025

• To speed the plugging of orphaned oil and gas wells around the nation, the Interior Department updated its guidelines for the $780 million Orphaned Wells State Matching Grant Program and the $1.93 billion Orphaned Wells State Formula Grant Program. The revised guidance eliminates non-statutory requirements and reduces burdens on state grant recipients by: (1) removing the requirement that states conduct pre- and post- plugging methane measurement; (2) recognizing the discretion states have in identifying and plugging orphaned wells; and (3) eliminating the Interior Department’s post-award, environmental review and approval process.

• The White House announced that President Trump was diagnosed with “chronic venous insufficiency” that is causing significant swelling in his lower limbs and ankles. Experts describe chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) as a condition in which the flow of superficial or deep venous blood is impaired, causing venous hypertension. The disease is caused by blood not efficiently returning from the legs to the heart, often as a result of damaged valves in the veins.

July 16, 2025

• House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) reintroduced the Child Care for Working Families Act, legislation to: (1) make child care affordable for working families; (2) improve the quality and supply of child care for all children and expand families’ child care options; (3) support higher wages for child care workers; (4) expand access to high-quality pre-K; and (5) better support Head Start programs by providing the funding necessary to offer full-day, full-year programming and increasing wages for Head Start workers. The bill text is available here, a fact sheet is available here, and a section-by-section is available here.

• Stellantis announced it is discontinuing its hydrogen fuel-cell technology development program because it doesn’t expect the adoption of hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicles before the end of the decade given the limited availability of hydrogen-refueling infrastructure, high capital requirements, and the need for stronger consumer purchasing incentives. The announcement means Stellantis will no longer launch its new range of hydrogen-powered Pro One vans, which were due to begin serial production in France and Poland this year.

July 15, 2025

• A proposed class of hundreds of thousands of employees sued Constellation Energy Corp., Dominion Energy Inc., and 24 other major nuclear power generation companies. The workers are employed at the 54 commercial nuclear power plants and allege that the companies are conspiring to unlawfully suppress their compensation in violation of federal antitrust law.

July 14, 2025

• House appropriators advanced the Interior and Environment appropriations bill to the full House Appropriations Committee by a vote of 8-5. The bill prioritizes fossil fuel development by providing $13.6 million for offshore oil and gas development at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and includes a $15 million increase for onshore oil and gas development at the Bureau of Land Management. It also blocks the Biden-EPA’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 and its emission regulations on light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles. The text of the bill is available here, a summary of the bill is available here, and a list of earmarks is available here.

Around the Country 

Northeast (ME, NH, CT, MA, RI, VT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, DC) 

• On July 23^rd, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) announced he will run for reelection to New York’s 17^th Congressional District next year rather than launch a bid for governor of New York.

• On July 21^st, the Trump Administration announced the cancellation of $327 million in federal aid to Massachusetts that had been awarded to partially finance the nearly $2 billion Allston Multimodal Project in Boston to remove an elevated viaduct that carries a portion of the turnpike through the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods on the west side of Boston and also involves improvements to nearby rail and traffic lanes in a notoriously congested portion of the Massachusetts turnpike. The cancellation is a result of the President’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” that terminates the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, which was the funding mechanism for this financial assistance to Boston.

• On July 17^th, Senate Republicans overcame an impasse on the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill that includes funding for the FBI, approving the measure by a 19-10 vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee after a fight over President Trump’s plans to change the location for the FBI’s new headquarters. The lawmakers knocked out a previously adopted amendment from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) that would have blocked the Administration from diverting cash from a $1.4 billion construction fund for anything other than building a new FBI headquarters in Maryland. Van Hollen said that he is not budging on his attempt to prevent the President from diverting FBI funding intended to move the agency’s headquarters to Greenbelt, MD. 

• On July 15^th, President Trump and Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) attended the first-ever Pennsylvania Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University where CEOs announced billions of dollars in projects. The projects include: (1) Google investing $25 billion in data centers across Pennsylvania and neighboring states over the next two years and signing a 20-year deal with Brookfield to upgrade two hydroelectric power plants in Pennsylvania; (2) First Energy investing $15 billion in Pennsylvania’s electric grid; (3) Westinghouse pledging new nuclear reactor deliveries in Pennsylvania; (4) GE Vernova announcing the expansion of a local factory in Charleroi, PA; and (5) investment giants Blackstone and BlackRock rolling out more plans to build data centers in Pennsylvania. The announcements are part of a larger effort to turn Pittsburgh and the surrounding area into a national tech hub.

• On July 15^th, Goldman Sachs announced it will finance a $270 million affordable housing project to build 385 apartments in Brooklyn. The project, financed by Goldman’s Urban Investment Group, will also include commercial space.

• On July 14^th, Democrat Janelle Stelson, who lost to Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) by barely a percentage point in 2024, said she will run again in Pennsylvania’s 10^th Congressional District. 

West (CA, NV, UT, CO, WY)

• On July 22^nd, former Stockton, CA Mayor Kevin Lincoln (R) announced he will challenge incumbent Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA) in California’s 9^th Congressional District.

• On July 21^st, Perry Meade, a 26-year-old labor organizer with UNITE-HERE Local 11, announced plans to be the second Democrat challenging incumbent Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) in California’s 40^th Congressional District. Also on the 21^st, Katherine Aleman, a public school teacher and chicken farmer, announced a Democratic run to challenge Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) in California’s 41^st Congressional District.

• On July 16^th, the Transportation Department announced it is rescinding $4 billion in federal funding for California’s High-Speed Rail Project. In a letter, acting Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Drew Feeley wrote that the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) “breached the commitments” it made in its original agreements, specifically by displaying an “inability to complete” the goals it established. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also issued a statement saying that “after over decade of failures, CHSRA’s mismanagement and incompetence has proven it cannot build its train to nowhere on time or on budget. It is time for this boondoggle to die.” Separately, in a social media post, President Trump said, “This project was severely overpriced, overregulated, and never delivered. The railroad we were promised still does not exist and never will.” The following day, July 17^th, California’s High-Speed Rail Authority sued the Trump Transportation Department to reinstate the more than $4 billion in federal grant cuts to the rail program that would connect the Los Angeles area with San Francisco and other cities. The lawsuit claims the cuts resulted from President Trump’s “personal animus” toward California and its rail program rather than a rational analysis and are thus an “abuse of discretion” threatening to “wreak significant economic damage on the Central Valley, the State, and the Nation.” The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

Northwest (OR, WA, ID, MT)

• On July 24^th, the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced it recovered $155,066 in back wages and fringe benefits for 19 employees of AAA Fire Protection Inc. headquartered in Seattle, WA who were underpaid for their work on a project funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The WHD found that AAA Fire Protection Inc. was contracted to install sprinklers at a newly constructed mixed-use apartment and retail complex in Denver and incorrectly classified 16 employees as apprentices and failed to provide fringe benefits and proper prevailing wages in violation of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. AAA Fire Protection also neglected to pay overtime premiums to employees working more than 40 hours in a workweek and failed to keep proper records, both violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

• On July 22^nd, nuclear start-up Oklo, which specializes in small modular reactors (SMRs), announced a partnership with Vertiv Holdings to develop power and cooling systems for artificial intelligence data centers that leverage steam and electricity from on-site SMRs to drive data-center cooling systems that use Vertiv’s thermal management systems. The pilot technology demonstration is planned for Oklo’s first Aurora powerhouse at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, ID.

• On July 18^th, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) highlighted funding for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in the fiscal year 2026 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill that passed the House Appropriations Committee by a vote of 35-27. Simpson said that the bill: (1) provides funding for INL’s infrastructure and operations; (2) provides funding for INL’s Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) project; (3) provides funding for the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) Test Bed at INL; (4) provides funding for a variety of advanced reactor construction and demonstrations; and (5) provides funding for further research and development of advanced Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) and High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) reactor fuel at INL. 

Midwest (ND, SD, NE, KS, MN, IA, WI, IL, IN, OH, MI)

• On July 23^rd, Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) said he will not run to be Michigan’s next U.S. senator, saying that “after careful consideration…as well as consultation with President Trump, I have decided against a bid for U.S. Senate in Michigan” adding that he looks forward to “announcing [his] future plans later this year.”

• On July 22^nd, a National Labor Relations Board Administrative Law Judge ruled that Chicago-area plumbing company Reliance Plumbing, Sewer, and Drainage must rehire several workers and bargain with the United Association because it violated the NLRA by threatening workers supporting unionization, unilaterally altering their schedules, and committing numerous other unfair labor practices at its facility in Northbrook, Illinois. Workers began organizing at the facility in August 2023 when management proposed changing the way it paid them from hourly to per job.

• On July 22^nd, President Trump endorsed Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) for reelection next year despite previously calling Rounds a “jerk” and vowing not to support him in the future.

• On July 15^th, Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is committed to building several massive data centers and the first data center expected to come online next year in Ohio.

Southeast (WV, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, TN, KY, AR, LA, MO)

• On July 24^th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $500,000 to the city of Springfield, MO to fund their Brownfields Assessment Grant. The funding will be used to inventory brownfield sites, conduct 20 environmental site assessments, and develop four cleanup plans and two area-wide plans, including at a 24,000-square-foot foundry complex, a 5.62-acre rail yard, and a 0.96-acre site previously used for auto sales, repair, and salvage.

• On July 24^th, it was revealed that Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whately is expected to launch a bid for retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) Senate seat with President Trump’s endorsement after Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump passed on entering the race. This followed reports onJuly 23^rd that former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) is expected to announce his campaign for U.S. Senate as early as this week following incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) retirement. 

• On July 22^nd, the Pipeline Safety and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced that it has entered into a 20-year lease agreement with McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana to become the site of PHMSA’s National Center of Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Safety. The Center will facilitate research and development, training, and regulatory coordination between federal agencies to advance LNG safety and innovation and will facilitate collaboration among LNG sector stakeholders. The lease will commence on August 1, 2025. Additional information on the Center is available here.

• On July 21^st, GOP Rep. Mike Collins (GA) inched closer to running against incumbent Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff (D)  in 2026, posting a video on X (formerly Twitter) indicating plans to enter the race. 

• On July 17^th, Kentucky State Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R) announced a bid for Kentucky’s 6^th Congressional District currently represented by Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), who is running for Senate to replace retiring Sen. McConnell (R-KY). 

• On July 16^th, Hallie Shoffner, a sixth-generation farmer from northeast Arkansas, announced a Democratic U.S. Senate bid against incumbent Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).

• On July 15^th, British aerospace and defense company Rolls-Royce announced it is investing $75 million to expand its engine manufacturing facility in Aiken, South Carolina. The investment will boost output of mtu Series 4000 diesel engines, which are used in backup power systems for data centers and other critical infrastructure. 

• On July 14^th, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) said he may “take a look” at running for president in 2028, explaining that his goal would be to “heal the country.”

Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX)

• On July 23^rd, Chevron Corp. cut 575 jobs in the Houston area on the same day it completed the $53 billion takeover of Hess Corp.

• On July 22^nd, Texas-based utility firm CPS Energy announced that it entered into an agreement with Seattle energy company Modern Hydrogen on a new project to increase electricity grid resilience and enable cleaner power generation from natural gas. The project involves CPS testing Modern Hydrogen’s technology that breaks down the hydrocarbons in natural gas to produce hydrogen and solid carbon and then stores and reuses the solid carbon in products like asphalt for infrastructure projects.

• On July 18^th, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed its rating of the 2026 Texas Senate race from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican” as the contentious GOP primary between Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) rages on. The ratings change comes as polls consistently show Paxton leading Cornyn in the Republican primary. However, in hypothetical general election polling, Paxton appears more vulnerable against likely Democrats than Cornyn does.

• On July 17^th, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced that it is accelerating expansion of its “gigafab facility” in Phoenix, Arizona to meet soaring U.S. demand from clients in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. The company is also moving forward by “several quarters” the initiation of production at some of the facilities being built.

• On July 15^th, Adelita Grijalva won the special Democratic primary for Arizona’s 7^th Congressional District and is favored to win the September 23, 2025 special general election for the seat previously occupied by her father, the late Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).

• On July 14^th, Ivanhoe Electric said that it is quickly advancing plans to build the nation’s first large copper mine in over a decade in Arizona on 6,000 acres of private land to meet the growing demand for copper. The announcement comes as copper prices reach an all-time high following President Trump’s announcement that he intends to impose 50% tariffs on imported copper. Construction on the Santa Cruz copper mine near Tucson is expected to begin next year.

The Mechanical Contractors Association of America’s Government Affairs Committee will hold a webinar July 24 at 2 p.m. Eastern time to help members understand the implications of President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

The session will focus on the requirements and potential consequences of the executive order for businesses in the construction industry, with an emphasis on maintaining compliance while preserving existing and potential federal contract work.

Gregory Ossi, partner at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, will lead the discussion. Ossi advises employers on labor law and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)-related litigation matters in the energy production, mining, government contracting, hospitality, manufacturing, and construction industries. He counsels on issues including collective bargaining, mergers and acquisitions, union organizing, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, and retiree healthcare with an emphasis on multi-employer pension withdrawal liability.

Ossi also has experience negotiating Project Labor Agreements as well as retirement and healthcare plans pursuant to collective bargaining agreements. He has litigated labor and ERISA cases in federal courts in the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Texas, Kentucky and Virginia.