Congress Hosts Series of Disaster Recovery Hearings
April 12, 2018
This week Congress held multiple hearings offering status updates on post-disaster recovery efforts and lessons learned after 2017’s deadly hurricane season. It started off with a field hearing held by the House Committee on Homeland Security entitled “Houston Strong: Hurricane Harvey Lessons Learned and the Path Forward.” Witnesses included officials from the U.S. Army Corps......
Building a Culture of Preparedness at FEMA
March 30, 2018
Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a new strategic plan to guide the agency from 2018 through 2022. The plan outlines three goals: reducing the complexity of the agency, readying the nation for catastrophic disaster, and building a culture of preparedness. The strategic goals will be driven by twelve supporting strategic objectives......
President Trump Signs Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Into Law
March 23, 2018
Yesterday, Congress passed a 2,232-page, $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2018 (through September 30, 2018), and President Trump signed the bill into law today. The bill passed the House on a vote of 256 – 167 and the Senate on a vote of 65 – 32. Since October 1, 2017,......
Civil Engineers Advocate for Infrastructure on Capitol Hill
March 16, 2018
Infrastructure has been a “buzzy” topic around Washington as of late, and this week ASCE members added their voices to the conversation by making in-person hill meetings to share the Society’s views on infrastructure investment, including FAA reauthorization, the 2018 WRDA bill, and the SRF WIN Act, with federal lawmakers. These visits came at an......
A Look Back: One Year With the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card
March 09, 2018
The 2017 Infrastructure Report Card celebrates its one-year anniversary today. Referenced by champions of infrastructure investment across the nation, the Report Card reminds us that with long-term investment, smart leadership, and preparation for the future, our nation’s D+ infrastructure problems are solvable. Since its release at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. last March, the 2017......
Senate Democrats Release New Infrastructure Plan
March 07, 2018
This week, the Senate Democratic Caucus unveiled their own new jobs and infrastructure plan in response to President Trump’s Infrastructure Principles released in early February. Under the Senate Democrats jobs and infrastructure plan, there would be a $1 trillion federal investment to modernize our deteriorating infrastructure. ASCE President Kristina Swallow released a statement, highlighting that......
Fix the Federal Budget Process to Help Improve America’s Infrastructure
March 01, 2018
By Brian Pallasch, Managing Director, Government Relations and Infrastructure Initiatives, American Society of Civil Engineers For decades, Congress has repeatedly failed to pass a budget on time, speeding toward budget deadlines as if we have miles of roadway ahead of us, when in reality, we’re laying down roadway as we are driving over it. This......
February 21, 2018
This week is National Engineers Week, which celebrate how engineers make a difference in our world. This is a guest post by David Engelstad, P.E, who works for the National Park Service. In the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, parks received a grade of ‘D+.’ What better construction project can you be assigned to than one that connects......
President Trump Releases Much Anticipated Infrastructure Plan
February 12, 2018
The Trump Administration has officially released an infrastructure proposal calling for $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments, with $200 billion of direct federal spending over the course of 10 years. The federal investment is meant to spur investments from state and local governments and private investors. The proposal is divided into four main parts: funding and......
Civil Engineers React to President Trump’s Infrastructure Plan
February 11, 2018
The following is a statement by ASCE President Kristina Swallow, PE, regarding the Trump Administration’s proposed infrastructure plan for our roads, bridges, water systems and other infrastructure assets. “The American Society of Civil Engineers has been warning of the safety and economic implications of our deteriorating infrastructure for the past 20 years. The Infrastructure Report......
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