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On this week’s episode of “The Bottom Line With ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu,” get insights on the Construction Backlog Indicator, which rebounded to 7.7 months in October, an increase of 0.2 months from September’s reading, according to an ABC member survey conducted from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5. Backlog is 1.2 months lower than in October 2019.
To learn more, visit abc.org/economics
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*Updates and results included below were updated at 3:30 p.m. EST.
The big story of the night is that we do not have a winner in the presidential election yet. Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania are too close or too early to call at this time, while projected contests in Wisconsin and Arizona seem to favor Vice President Joe Biden, which would give him a 248-214 lead in the race towards the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency.
In addition, some news outlets are waiting for additional ballots from Alaska before calling Electoral College votes. Key to President Trump’s stronger-than-expected showing in the election were critical wins in Florida, Ohio and Texas, which were targeted by Democrats in their bid for the White House. If the projections hold and Biden has been able to flip Wisconsin and Arizona for Democrats, it makes Trump’s path to victory tougher than in 2016.
Currently, President Trump leads in votes counted from Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania (worth 51 Electoral College votes), while former Vice President Biden has the edge in Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin (worth 43 votes), and it could take additional days or even into next week to finish counting their votes.
There are several pathways to victory for both sides, and although Biden could reach 270 if he maintains his current leads, Pennsylvania holds the largest number of Electoral College votes for these key states, at 20. While the president held an 11-point lead this morning, it has decreased throughout the day to a less than 7-point lead as the state started to count approximately 1.4 million absentee votes, not including ballots that could arrive ahead of the Nov. 6 deadline for returning mail-in, absentee ballots. Biden has won absentee ballots in Pennsylvania by a margin of 78% to 21%, and if he is able to maintain this trend, it would net him enough votes to pull ahead in the state.
While Democrats were also hoping to pull out a Senate majority on election night, the chances of them netting the seats needed to do so has dwindled, with five races still uncalled. Democrats were only able to increase their Senate caucus number by one so far, with wins against incumbents Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) but Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) losing to Republican Tommy Tuberville. Democrats also failed to oust Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and early this afternoon Democrat Sara Gideon conceded to Susan Collins in Maine. Democrats fell short in long-shot bids to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, Sen. John Cornyn in Texas and a few other seats.
In races still undecided, Republican Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and David Perdue of Georgia are maintaining leads; and if Perdue obtains 50% of the vote, he avoids a run-off election. Also in Georgia, following a special election, Republican Kelly Loeffler will head to a January run-off election against Democrat Raphael Warnock.
In Michigan, Republican challenger John James currently trails Democratic incumbent Gary Peters by fewer than 1,200 votes, and Republican Dan Sullivan is expected to win reelection in Alaska. If things play out as expected, Democrats would have to carry Michigan, force another Georgia run-off election against Perdue and win both Georgia Senate seats in order to win a majority in the Senate.
While Democrats will maintain control of the U.S. House, Republicans are likely to gain seats in the lower chamber, increasing their caucus numbers slightly, with several competitive races across the country too close to call. So far, Democrats have only been able to flip two open House seats in North Carolina, due largely to court-ordered redistricting, falling short in their expectations of unseating a number of GOP incumbents, particularly in Ohio and Texas. Read on for a list of key Republican seat flips and GOP and Democrat holds for the 2020 elections.
Republicans continued to exceed expectations at the state level as the vaunted Democratic Blue Wave fizzled despite aggressive strategies and record spending by state political groups focused on flipping state legislative chambers. State legislative chamber and party trifecta victories are crucial, because the winners will have a greater role in congressional and state redistricting following the 2020 census, which both parties hoped to control to build an electoral advantage for the next decade.
In the 11 governor races, just one state changed party hands. Montana’s at-large Rep. Greg Gianforte (R) was elected the state’s new governor in an open race, replacing term-limited Gov. Steve Bullock (D), giving Republicans a new state party trifecta. Of note, incumbent Republican Govs. Chris Sununu (N.H.) and Phil Scott (Vt.) were re-elected in blue states. In North Carolina, incumbent Gov. Roy Cooper (D) won re-election, while Republican Mark Robinson will be North Carolina’s first black lieutenant governor.
In state legislatures, it appears Republicans will hold or increase their majorities in several key chambers, including the Michigan House, Texas House and both chambers in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Republicans are projected to win a few seats in the New York Senate, preventing Democrats from gaining a supermajority.
In West Virginia, Republicans held and strengthened their supermajority, adding seats in the state house. In New Hampshire, Republicans gained control of the Senate and may flip the House when all ballots are counted, giving the GOP another trifecta. The Alaska House may also flip, which would result in another GOP state party trifecta.
As expected, election results across the country will trickle in over the coming days. A list tracking key U.S. Senate and House races that have been called is below. Please join the ABC National team tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. ET, for a post-election briefing. Registration is now open.
U.S. Senate Tracker
GOP Flips (1)
Republican Holds (6)
Democratic Flips (2)
U.S. Representative Tracker (updated 11 a.m. EST)
Republican Flips (7)
Remaining Called Races
*Indicates issue advocacy involvement from ABC’s Free Enterprise Alliance.
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On this week’s episode of “The Bottom Line With ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu,” get insights on the latest GPD growth and nonresidential construction spending.
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On Oct. 26, ABC submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule revising its interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to a DOL news release, the proposed rule makes key revisions to determine whether a worker is an employee under the FLSA or an independent contractor, which includes the adoption of an “economic reality test” and the use of two “core factors” to help determine a worker’s status and more.
In its comments, ABC expressed its support for the proposal, which clarifies the agency’s interpretation of independent contractor status under the FLSA and promotes certainty for employers, independent contractors and employees.
“Independent contractors are essential to many aspects of the construction industry,” said ABC in its comments. “They provide specialized skills, entrepreneurial opportunities and stability during fluctuations of work common to construction. At the same time, due to conflicting and confusing tests for independent contractor status, construction firms have been unfairly targeted for alleged misclassification of some workers as independent contractors, resulting in expensive and time-consuming litigation and less efficient performance of construction work.
“ABC believes DOL’s proposed rule will promote economic growth in the construction industry by providing greater clarity to construction industry employers as to the proper classification of independent contractors and employees under the FLSA,” ABC said.
ABC also urged DOL to include further clarifications and a “safe harbor” with regard to enforcement of the FLSA, so that construction contractors do not jeopardize any independent contractor’s status as such while attempting in good faith to comply with the myriad of conflicting requirements of other federal and state laws.
For more information on the proposed rule, see ABC’s general counsel’s analysis, DOL Releases Proposed Regulation on Independent Contracting.
ABC will continue to keep members informed of any developments about this rulemaking in Newsline.
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On Oct. 26,the Senate confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States by a 52-48 vote, with all Senate Democrats and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voting no. After the confirmation vote, Judge Barrett was sworn in at a ceremony on the White House lawn by Justice Clarence Thomas.
Ahead of the confirmation vote, ABC sent a ”Key Vote” letter in support of Judge Barrett’s nomination. In the letter, ABC acknowledged that “while the circumstances surrounding Judge Barrett’s nomination have led to a partisan disagreement on process, ABC believes that we must look at the facts available and the proven qualifications of Judge Barrett as a capable and effective judge who should be confirmed to the Supreme Court.”
Judge Barrett’s “strong record of judicial integrity, legal philosophy and respect for the Constitution, which is embodied by her belief that justices should decide cases based on how they interpret the Constitution” will make her an exceptional choice to serve on the Supreme Court, said ABC.
Judge Barrett is President Trump’s third nominee to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Along with the 162 district court judges and 53 appeals court judges who have been confirmed over the past four years, this means the Trump administration has installed a third of both the Supreme Court and the entire federal appellate bench.
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The ABC Pelican Chapter recently held a fundraiser to help staff affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Through the sales of “Louisiana Strong” shirts and cash donations from members, families and other nearby ABC chapters, the ABC Pelican chapter raised nearly $10,000.
Hurricane Laura was one of the strongest hurricanes on record to make landfall in the United States, directly impacting ABC Pelican staff, members, friends and neighbors in Southwest Louisiana. Six weeks later, Hurricane Delta followed just as the community was getting back on their feet.
“ABC Pelican staff and members are a close-knit family, and we are there to help each other up when we are down,” said Erika Walter, communications director for ABC’s Pelican Chapter. “It is with overwhelming gratitude we announce that we have raised approximately $10,000 to go directly to help our Southwest training center staff.”
The chapter would like to thank everyone, including the ABC New Orleans/Bayou, ABC Georgia, ABC Text Gulf Coast and ABC West Virginia chapters, for their fundraiser contributions.
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On Oct. 19, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a set of Frequently Asked Questions on the effectiveness of N95 respirators against coronavirus exposure as part of the agency’s COVID-19 FAQs page.
According to an OSHA news release, the agency is aware of incorrect claims stating that N95 respirators do not capture particles as small as the virus that causes the coronavirus, and OSHA’s new FAQ explains why an N95 respirator is effective at protecting users from the virus.
In addition to these new FAQs, OSHA recently issued frequently asked questions and answers regarding the need to report employees’ in-patient hospitalizations and fatalities resulting from work-related cases of the coronavirus.
Additional coronavirus resources can be found on the OSHA website.
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On Oct. 8, the U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, released a simpler loan forgiveness application for Paycheck Protection Program loans of $50,000 or less. This action streamlines the PPP forgiveness process to provide financial and administrative relief to America’s smallest businesses while also ensuring sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
“The PPP has provided 5.2 million loans worth $525 billion to American small businesses, providing critical economic relief and supporting more than 51 million jobs,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “Today’s action streamlines the forgiveness process for PPP borrowers with loans of $50,000 or less and thousands of PPP lenders who worked around the clock to process loans quickly,” he continued. “We are committed to making the PPP forgiveness process as simple as possible while also protecting against fraud and misuse of funds. We continue to favor additional legislation to further simplify the forgiveness process.”
“Nothing will stop the Trump Administration from supporting great American businesses and our great American workers. The Paycheck Protection Program has been an overwhelming success and served as a historic lifeline to America’s hurting small businesses and tens of millions of workers. The new form introduced today demonstrates our relentless commitment to using every tool in our toolbelt to help small businesses and the banks that have participated in this program,” said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. “We are continuing to ensure that small businesses are supported as they recover.”
SBA and Treasury have also eased the burden on PPP lenders, allowing lenders to process forgiveness applications more swiftly.
SBA began approving PPP forgiveness applications and remitting forgiveness payments to PPP lenders for PPP borrowers on Oct. 2, 2020. SBA will continue to process all PPP forgiveness applications in an expeditious manner.
Those interested can apply on the SBA government website. More information and instructions on applying can also be found on the SBA website.
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Are you interested in inviting transitioning veterans and their spouses into your registered apprenticeship programs? The U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service announced an Apprenticeship Pilot Program earlier this year that could help you develop veterans into construction craft professionals and make career dreams come true.
The pilot program was created to identify, track and increase the number of transitioning service members and their spouses hired into registered apprenticeship programs prior to separation from the military. Transitioning service members are well-suited to pursue a rewarding career pathway through these programs, which will allow them to adapt the technical skills they learned while in the military to the needs of the civilian workplace.
The pilot will run from 2020 through April 2021 and will take place at eight military installations across the United States that were chosen in collaboration with the Department of Defense. However, transitioning service members and their families will likely desire to travel from their current duty station to other states, so the limited number of participating bases should not be an impediment to making career connections across the country. This is an excellent opportunity to connect transitioning service members to employment and education opportunities.
To learn more, visit for the DOL VETS Apprenticeship Pilot Program website.
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Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service announced an Apprenticeship Pilot Program that will identify, track and increase the number of transitioning service members and their spouses hired into registered apprenticeship programs prior to separation from the military. Transitioning service members are well-suited to pursue a rewarding career pathway through these programs, which will allow them to adapt the technical skills they learned while in the military to the needs of the civilian workplace.
The pilot will run from 2020 through early 2021 and will take place at eight military installations across the United States that were chosen in collaboration with the Department of Defense. Since only eight bases have been identified for the pilot program, transitioning service members and their families will likely desire to travel from their current duty station to other states. This is an excellent opportunity to engage your member companies and connect transitioning service members to employment and education opportunities.
To learn more, visit for the DOL Veterans’ Employment and Training Service Apprenticeship Pilot website.
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