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Status of Start Us Up USA!
Start Us Up USA! was a grassroots campaign by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) conducted in 2009 and 2010 to highlight the economic depression in the construction equipment industry, its impact on the broader economy, and the need for Congress to act on a package of legislative proposals (most notably, a multi-year highway bill) to restore economic certainty for distributors and manufacturers.
Over the course of 18 months, AED and AEM worked with local industry leaders to coordinate rallies and "Idle Equipment Caravans" in Las Vegas, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Antonio and Des Moines. The rallies drew considerable media attention and the campaign generated thousands of grassroots communications to lawmakers in support of infrastructure and tax legislation. The campaign also resulted in dozens of meetings on Capitol Hill between senior equipment industry executives and leading members of Congress on both sides of aisle.
In the summer of 2010, AED and AEM launched a targeted effort to urge congressional candidates to sign a campaign pledge committing themselves to robust, fiscally-responsible infrastructure programs. AED and AEM members around the country used the pledge as the basis for discussions with candidates about highway and water infrastructure needs.
While highway reauthorization remains unfinished, Start Us Up USA! achieved a number of policy victories, including extension of net operating loss carryback rules, and expanded and extended capital investment and home purchase tax incentives. The campaign also resulted in a surge in grassroots participation by the equipment industry that has helped elevate its profile with key audiences in the nation's capital.
AED and AEM are continuing to jointly pursue policy objectives that help restore economic certainty for the equipment industry, including a new, multi-year highway bill. We are keeping this Web site live so that our members and the public may continue to have access to the resources created during the campaign. However, the site will not be updated after May 23.
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Start Us Up USA! Scores Major Victory with Signing of Tax Compromise Law
On Dec. 17, President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4853) into law. The new law provides 100 percent depreciation bonus for capital investments placed in service after September 8, 2010 through December 31, 2011. For equipment placed in service after December 31, 2011 and through December 31, 2012, the bill provides for 50 percent depreciation bonus.
Additionally, Sec. 179 expensing levels are extended beginning in 2012. In 2012, a taxpayer may expense up to $125,000 of the cost of qualifying property placed in service for the year (phase-out threshold of $500,000). Sec. 179 expensing levels remain at $500,000 (phase-out threshold amount to $2 million) for 2010 and 2011.
Both provisions are key parts of the Start Us Up USA! construction equipment industry recovery agenda.
For further information about the depreciation bonus visit www.depreciationbonus.org, a site maintained by AED.
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Equipment Industry Urges Action on Key Tax Provisions
As the tax debate begins to take shape on the Hill, AED President and CEO Toby Mack and AEM President Dennis Slater, joined with the CEOs of the American Rental Association, the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, and the North American Equipment Dealers Association, to urge Congress to work in a bipartisan fashion on tax proposals beneficial to the equipment industry before the end of the year.
In the letter addressed to House and Senate leaders, the leading equipment industry trade associations recommended lawmakers:
- Prevent 2001 and 2003 tax cuts from expiring
- Permanently resolve the uncertainty surrounding the estate tax
- Repeal the government contractor withholding tax
- Renew five-year depreciation for agricultural equipment
To view the letter visit: http://www.aednet.org/government/pdf-2010/AED-EquipmentIndustryTaxLetter-20101116.pdf
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Congratulations to Victorious Start Us Up USA! Infrastructure Pledge Signers
In August, the Start Us Up USA! campaign launched an unprecedented infrastructure pledge initiative. The pledge gave candidates the opportunity to publicly commit to supporting robust federal investment in surface transportation and water projects. Such programs would create jobs, spur economic growth, ensure the country's global competitiveness, protect public safety and the environment, and create a better quality of life for every American.
Start Us Up USA! sent the pledge to every candidate for U.S. House and Senate and industry leaders engaged these individuals about our country's growing infrastructure needs. In total, over 70 candidates signed the pledge. More importantly, 12 new House members and 13 winning incumbents supported our effort, many of whom made infrastructure investment a centerpiece of their campaign. AED and AEM look forward to working with these lawmakers next Congress to enact legislation containing substantial, sustained, and fiscally responsible investments in our nation's deteriorating infrastructure.
Winning Start Us Up USA! Infrastructure Pledge Signers:
Reelected Incumbents
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3)
Bob Filner (D-CA-51)
Barney Frank (D-MA-4)
Charles Gonzalez (D-TX-20)
Rush Holt (D-NJ-12)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9)
Steven LaTourette (R-OH-14)
Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10)
James Moran (D-VA-8)
John Olver (D-MA-1)
Steve Rothman (D-NJ-9)
Pete Sessions (R-TX-32)
Successful Challengers
Lou Barletta (R-PA-11)
Mo Brooks (R-AL-5)
Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA-8)
Richard Hanna (R-NY-24)
Tom Marino (R-PA-10)
Reid Ribble (R-WI-8)
David Rivera (R-FL-25)
Todd Rokita (R-IN-4)
Bobby Schilling (R-IL-17)
Steve Stivers (R-OH-15)
Marlin Stutzman (R-IN-3)
Steve Womack (R-AR-3)
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AED, AEM Tell Gubernatorial Candidates to “Start Us Up!”
As part of the Start Us Up USA! campaign's continuing efforts to improve the economic conditions in the construction equipment industry, AED and AEM sent letters to gubernatorial candidates urging them, if elected, to work with their legislatures and congressional delegations to make surface transportation and water infrastructure investment a top priority.
The letter is the latest effort by Start Us Up USA!, the national grassroots campaign led by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) to draw attention to the economic crisis facing construction equipment distributors and manufacturers. The campaign encourages dialogue about the need for sustained investment in our nation's infrastructure and the consequences of inaction.
To read the letter send to gubernatorial candidates, click here.
To read the press release, click here.
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Start Us Up USA! Scores Major Victory as President Signs Bill with Depreciation Bonus, Sec. 179 Expensing
On Sept. 27, President Obama signed the Small Business Lending Fund Act (H.R. 5297) into law, reinstating the 50 percent depreciation bonus for 2010 and increasing Sec. 179 expensing levels to $500,000 (and the phase-out threshold amount to $2 million) for 2010 and 2011. Both provisions are key parts of the Start Us Up USA! construction equipment industry recovery agenda.
For further information about the depreciation bonus visit www.depreciationbonus.org, a site maintained by AED.
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Start Us Up USA! Launches Infrastructure Campaign Pledge
AED and AEM have launched an effort to get U.S. House and Senate candidates from across the country to commit to making surface transportation and water infrastructure investment a top priority in the next Congress. The pledge gives them the opportunity, if elected, to publicly commit to supporting robust federal investment in surface transportation and water infrastructure programs. Such programs would create jobs, spur economic growth, ensure the country's global competitiveness, protect public safety and the environment, and create a better quality of life for every American. For more information about the pledge campaign visit www.startusupusa.com/pledge.
To view the press release regarding the effort click here
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AED National Chairman Testifies Before House Committees on Key Parts of Start Us Up USA! Recovery Agenda
AED 2010 National Chairman Dennis Vander Molen, president and general manager of Vermeer MidSouth, appeared before two U.S. House of Representatives' committees on water infrastructure investment and the depreciation bonus, key parts of the equipment industry recovery agenda.
To read more, please click here.
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AED and AEM Urge Senators to Devote All Revenues Raised from the Transportation Sector in Energy and Climate Change Legislation to the Highway Trust Fund
On June 8, AED President and CEO Toby Mack and AEM President Dennis Slater sent a letter to all U.S. Senators, in advance of the chamber's anticipated consideration of energy and climate change legislation, urging Congress to devote all revenues collected from any “climate fee” on the transportation sector to the Highway Trust Fund “to support comprehensive surface transportation improvements.”
To view a copy of the letter CLICK HERE.
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Iowa Equipment Industry Tells Congress to Start Us Up USA!
Against a backdrop of construction machinery idled by the economic downturn, Iowa equipment distributors and manufacturers rallied on May 7 at the Iowa state capitol building to urge Congress to pass a new multi-year highway law. The event, organized by the Iowa Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association (INEDA), is part of Start Us Up USA!, a national grassroots campaign by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
To read more about the Iowa Start Us Up USA! rally, please click here.
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Start Us Up USA! coming to Des Moines
The next Start Us Up USA! rally to build support for highway reauthorization and the equipment industry recovery agenda will take place Friday, May 7 at 4pm at the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines.
The event, which is being organized by the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Distributors and Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association, will feature an array of equipment idled by the equipment industry depression, as well remarks by local and national industry leaders, including AED President & CEO Toby Mack.
INED-INEDA has also made a media buy on WHO Radio to run a 30-second commercial starting next Monday and running throughout the week.
Several leading Iowa equipment companies (dealers and manufacturers) are providing equipment and other support for the event. If you're an Iowa AED member who wants to participate in the rally and provide equipment, please contact INED Director of Government Affairs Will Rogers at [email protected] or 1-800-622-0016.
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80 National Groups Join AED and AEM Urging Depreciation Bonus Reinstatement
On April, AED and AEM were joined by 80 other national organizations urging Congress to reinstate the expired depreciation bonus. The tax incentive, created as part of the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act and extended by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, allows companies that buy new equipment to cut their tax bills by writing off 50 percent of the cost in the first year. The depreciation bonus expired on Dec. 31, 2009.
In a letter to Congress sent last Thursday, AED, AEM, and its allies told lawmakers that, “Reinstating bonus depreciation will help inoculate the economy against a backward slide in business capital investment in the months ahead, enhance the impact and benefits of other job creation legislation (e.g., infrastructure investment), encourage recovery in fragile, capital-intensive sectors of the economy (e.g., construction and manufacturing), and, most significantly, put Americans back to work.” To view a copy of the letter, please click here
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AED and AEM Urge President Obama to Make Highway Reauthorization a Priority
On March 4, AED President and CEO Toby Mack and AEM President Dennis Slater sent a letter to President Obama urging him to direct his administration “to begin working with the Congress to develop and pass – in 2010 – a fully funded, multi-year reauthorization of the federal surface transportation programs.” To view a copy of the letter, please click here.
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Senate Bill Extends Highway Programs through 2010
On Wednesday, Feb, 24 by a vote of 70-28 the Senate passed the Jobs Bill that seeks to extend highway programs through Dec. 31, 2010. It is unclear at this time how the Senate bill will be reconciled with a much larger House-passed jobs bill, but a merging of the two bills is expected to happen quickly. The Start Us Up USA! Campaign's focus will now be to make this a "meaningful extension" during which work begins on a fully-funded, multi-year reauthorization and is completed before year's end.
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AED, AEM Joined By 39 Other National Organizations To Urge Extension Of Recently Expired Business Purchasing Tax Incentives
On January 29, AED and AEM were joined by 39 other national organizations representing the agriculture, distribution, construction, manufacturing, energy, aviation, and professional services sectors in calling on Congress to support a proposal mentioned in President Obama's State of the Union speech to “provide a tax incentive for all large businesses and all small businesses to invest in new plants and equipment.” The letter urges Congressional leaders to extend recently expired business purchasing tax incentives included in last year's economic stimulus legislation. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) allowed businesses to write off 50 percent of new equipment purchases and permits qualified small businesses to expense up to $250,000. The depreciation bonus and increased small business expensing provisions were included in the ARRA to encourage companies to make new capital investments in 2009. Both incentives expired at the end of last year.
In the letter, the coalition said, “Bringing back accelerated depreciation and higher Sec. 179 expensing levels would help inoculate the economy against a backward slide in business capital investment in the months ahead and enhance the impact and benefits of other job creation legislation (e.g., infrastructure investment). Doing so would also encourage businesses to invest in newer, safer, more efficient, and more environmentally-friendly equipment, which will have additional societal benefits.” To view the full text of the letter, please click here.
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San Antonio Equipment Distributors Tell Congress: Get to Work on the Highway Bill So WE Can Get Back to Work!
SAN ANTONIO January 20, 2010 – Congress' failure to renew the federal highway program has real economic consequences for Texas and the rest of the country, construction equipment industry leaders said at a rally today at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
The event was part of a national grassroots campaign called Start Us Up USA! by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the nation's two leading equipment industry trade groups.
Following the rally, a caravan of trucks carrying large pieces of construction equipment idled by the industry depression and draped with banners made its way through the streets of downtown San Antonio. To view the full press release from the Start Us Up USA! event in San Antonio CLICK HERE.
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Start Us Up USA! coming to San Antonio
On January 20, 2010, the Start Us Up USA! campaign and "idle equipment caravan" will make a stop in San Antonio in connection with the AED Summit and CONDEX. AED and AEM continue to educate lawmakers in Washington, D.C., about the economic crisis facing the equipment industry and urge action on a multi-year highway bill and other initiatives that will spur economic growth and create jobs in our industry. We need to keep the campaign's momentum going and continue to inform key policymakers that inaction is unacceptable. If you haven't already gotten involved in Start Us Up USA!, now is your chance. Please click here for more information about the San Antonio event.
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House Extends Highway Bill…Again!
On Wednesday, Dec. 15, the House passed a two-month extension of the highway bill, which was set to expire today; the next expiration date is Feb. 28, 2010. It is unclear what action Congress will take on the highway bill in that two-month period, but the most likely scenario is another extension, as policy issues and the question of the program's funding mechanism remain unresolved. A further extension, through the end of 2010, was included in another House-passed measure, the “Jobs for Main Street “proposal that, among other things, would provide $48 billion in new federal infrastructure investments. The package contains $27.5 billion for highways, $8.4 billion for transit, $800 million for Amtrak, $500 million for airports, $100 million for ship construction and $11 billion in other infrastructure investments (including Corps of Engineers activities). These funds are in addition to the federal investments already set for the core federal transportation programs in FY 2010. However, as it remains mired in health care reform, the Senate will not consider the jobs bill until after the first of the year.
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Terex Hosts Transportation Committee Chairman
On November 30, Terex welcomed Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, for discussions and a facility tour at its compact equipment manufacturing facility in Grand Rapids, MN. The visit, an invitation from Terex, provided both an opportunity for the Congressman to learn more about construction equipment made in his District and for Terex to thank him for his leadership in seeking reauthorization of the Highway Bill, which, again, expires Dec. 18 without further Congressional action.
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AED, AEM Joined By 30 Other National Organizations To Urge Extension Of Business Purchasing Tax Incentives
On December 2, AED and AEM were joined by 30 other national organizations representing the construction, manufacturing, aviation, professional services, and distribution sectors in calling on Congress and President Obama to extend business purchasing tax incentives included in the economic stimulus legislation. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) allows businesses to write off 50 percent of new equipment purchases and permits qualified small businesses to expense up to $250,000. The depreciation bonus and increased small business expensing provisions were included in the ARRA to encourage companies to make new capital investments in 2009. Both incentives expire at the end of the year.
In a letter to congressional leaders and the White House, the coalition said that while the depreciation bonus and increased small business expensing levels have had a positive impact, “the depression in capital-intensive sectors of the economy (e.g., construction and manufacturing), lack of access to credit, and general uncertainty about the future of the economy have combined to prevent many businesses from taking advantage of the law and the incentives have not had the chance to fully achieve their intended effect.” To view the full text of the letter please click here.
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Construction Unemployment Hits 19.4%
Overall unemployment unexpectedly fell two-tenths of a point to 10 percent in November. However, unemployment in the construction industry increased seven-tenths to a new high of 19.4 percent. This perfectly illustrates the Start Us Up USA! campaign's message that the construction equipment industry is being left behind in the economic recovery. How high does the construction unemployment rate need to be before Congress acts?
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AEM and AED Weigh In on White House Jobs Forum and Developing Jobs Bill
House and Senate Democratic leaders are developing new legislation, likely slated for enactment in January, intended to address the dismal U.S. unemployment numbers and stimulate job creation. Taking the lead in the Senate are Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Democratic Policy Committee Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-ND); Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA are on point in the House. As part of the Start Us Up USA! campaign, AEM and AED have met with these and other leading lawmakers, urging Congress for months to pass the highway bill reauthorization as it represents the best real, near-term and sustainable jobs creation opportunity. AEM and AED aggressively delivered this message in discussions with White House staff prior to the White House Jobs Forum held on Dec. 3, and on Dec. 4, and again went on record with a letter to the congressional leaders, reemphasizing the critical need to make transportation infrastructure investment a major element of their bill.
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AED and AEM Deliver Congress Orange Flags and Warn of Job Losses Ahead
On November 11, AED and AEM warned Congress that that the economy will shed more jobs in the coming months unless lawmakers swiftly enact a new multi-year highway law. The warning came in the form of orange flags sent to every member of Congress as part of the Start Us Up USA! campaign. The flags were accompanied by details of a recent IHS Global Insight economic report that found the equipment industry had lost 37 percent of its workforce in the last three years, the equipment industry downturn had cost 550,000 jobs nationwide, and equipment sales had declined 50 percent since 2006.
The orange flag has become a symbol of Start Us Up USA!, to draw attention to the equipment industry economic crisis. In conjunction the recent Washington, D.C., rally and idle construction equipment caravan through the streets of the nation's capital, the AED and AEM planted 5,500 orange flags in the National Mall – one for each 100 jobs lost since 2006 as a result of the downturn in the equipment industry. To read the full press release, please click here.
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Two Pieces of Start Us Up USA! Equipment Recovery Agenda Become Law
Last week, the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) and Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) scored two major victories as key parts of the Start Us Up USA! equipment industry recovery agenda were passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama as part of legislation to extend unemployment benefits by four months.
The legislation included the extension and expansion of two tax provisions from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (“ARRA” or “the stimulus bill”) relating to net operating loss (NOL) carry back and home purchase tax incentives. For more details, please click here.
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Construction Unemployment Rate Increases 4 Times Faster
The unemployment rate for the overall economy grew .4 percent in October to 10.2 percent. This pales in comparison to the 1.6 percent jump in the construction industry's unemployment rate as its reached a sky-high 18.7 percent. Additionally, the manufacturing sector lost another 61,000 jobs in October. These tragic figures serve to further highlight the dire need for a fully-funded multi-year reauthorization of the highway bill. When will the employment situation be bad enough in our sector to warrant the attention of the White House and Senate?
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President to Sign 60 Day Extension of Highway Bill
With the current program set to expire Saturday, Oct. 31 the Senate approved a another short-term extension of the highway bill on Oct. 29 to continue federal government funding at fiscal 2009 levels until mid-December. The House voted earlier to approve the measure, which now awaits the President's signature. The House and Senate are divided over whether to proceed with multi-year legislation to reauthorize the highway program or choose a shorter-term measure to delay the more comprehensive legislation.
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Idle Equipment Caravan Arrives in the Nation's Capital
On October 28, congressional and construction equipment industry leaders and allies took to the National Mall to rally for reauthorization of the highway bill! Featured speaker House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Oberstar exhorted the gathered crowd to keep up the pressure on Congress and the Administration to take action now! Following the rally, more than a dozen pieces of idle equipment motored around the Mall and Capitol Hill areas, up and down iconic Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, carrying campaign banners and blowing their horns to call attention to our bid to Start Us Up! again. Visit the Newsroom to view coverage of this event.
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Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Sign Letter to House Speaker Pelosi Urging her to Make Highway Reauthorization a Priority Now
On October 22, the Congressional Steel Caucus, a bipartisan group of 36 members of Congress, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi urging passage of a surface transportation authorization bill as soon as possible in order to support job creation and advance the nation's economic recovery. To view the letter in its entirety, click here.
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Stalled Equipment Workers Rally to 'Start Up' Highway Jobs
On October 20, the construction equipment industry held a rally of construction equipment industry workers and other allies at Soldier Field in Chicago as part of Start Us Up USA! This national grassroots campaign calls on the federal government to swiftly reauthorize federal road, bridge, transit and rail programs to spur a jobs recovery now. Following the rally, a caravan of idle heavy construction equipment took to the streets of Chicago. Visit the Newsroom to view coverage of this event.
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AEM and AED Urge Congress to Enact the Construction Equipment Industry Recovery Agenda
On October 2, AED President Toby Mack and AEM President Dennis Slater sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leaders Hoyer and Reid, and Minority Leaders Boehner and McConnell urging Congress to take "dramatic and immediate steps to revive construction equipment markets" by swiftly enacting the construction equipment industry recovery agenda proposed by AED and AEM. To view a copy of the letter, click here.
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Status on Highway Bill
On Sept. 30, with hours to go before the current federal highway programs expire, Congress passed a 30-day extension to prevent a sudden drop off in funding. This is a positive development as it allows more time for the Start Us Up USA! Campaign to get its message out on the damage an 18-month extension would have on our already fragile industry. With reports surfacing that the Senate is beginning to soften on its demand for a long-term extension, it appears we are having an impact. Keep up the pressure!
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Las Vegas Event Kicked Off Start Up USA! Campaign
During a rally in Las Vegas On Sept. 29, construction equipment workers and business leaders launched Start Us Up USA!, a grassroots campaign calling on the federal government to move quickly to reauthorize a critical transportation bill. This bill will provide the necessary funding for our nation's infrastructure which will spur a jobs recovery. The launch was followed by a caravan of heavy construction equipment, idled by a scarcity of new federal funding in transportation, parading down the Las Vegas strip. Visit the Newsroom to see coverage of this event.
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Study Finds Construction not in Recession, but Depression
A recently released study by IHS Global Insight, a respected economic and financial analysis firm, has found the construction equipment industry has shed 37 percent of its workforce. 2 out of every 25 jobs lost in the U.S. are tied to the slumping equipment industry, placing it ahead of both the auto and financial sectors. To view the report, click here.
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Start Us Up USA's photostream |
Start Us Up USA's video channel |
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| October 28, 2009 |
D.C. Caravan |
| October 20, 2009 |
Chicago Caravan |
| September 29, 2009 |
Las Vegas Caravan |
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Quotes like this underscore the dire straights of our nation’s basic construction and equipment
manufacturing base. Without decisive Congressional action, this story will become even more common
around the nation, damaging core of our infrastructure for years and perhaps decades to come. Learn more about the impact that delaying infrastructure funding is having around the country and find out what you can
do to help now.
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Long-term transportation investment creates
jobs and benefits everyone:
The reauthorization bill proposed by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee would create or sustain approximately six million family-wage jobs in the U.S. while improving our nation's infrastructure and laying the foundation for future economic growth.
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Appropriate investment in transportation infrastructure
is real stimulus for Americans and benefits all
of us with better roads, reduced congestion,
improved safety and a cleaner environment.
Learn more about the facts behind infrastructure
investments
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