The newly enacted $2-trillion stimulus package to ease the impact of the coronavirus outbreak has benefits for engineering and construction firms—and their client companies—through provisions for small-business loans and tax breaks, plus some funding. But industry officials also are focusing on a likely follow-up measure, and they hope that it will be a vehicle for an infusion of funds for highways and other types of infrastructure.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act, which President Donald Trump signed March 27, focuses on emergency responses to the pandemic. “I think these provisions and the funding levels reflect that—what do our infrastructure clients need right now to stay operational,” says Steve Hall, an American Council of Engineering Companies senior vice president.