Inaction on Federal Aviation Law Puts Construction Jobs at Risk
Congressional failure to pass federal aviation legislation is putting roughly 70,000 construction and related jobs at risk by forcing a halt to $2.5 billion worth of airport construction projects, a top construction economist recently said. The halt of so many airport projects will have economically “devastating” impacts on the industry, warned Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.
“With so few other construction segments doing well, halting an entire category of federally funded construction—airport projects—is exceptionally devastating economically for this industry,” Simonson said. “Tens of thousands of construction workers shouldn't have to suffer because Congress hasn’t figured out a way to work out its differences.”