Congress adjourned Wednesday, September 16, leaving Washington for the final stretch before the November midterm elections. Lawmakers now head back to their districts with a long list of unfinished business and only a limited post-election window to get it done. For independent lumber and building materials dealers, that means the issues that matter most are not going away. They are simply moving to the other side of Election Day. 

Congress did clear one immediate hurdle by extending federal funding through December 11. That gives lawmakers breathing room on FY2027 appropriations, but it also guarantees that spending negotiations will be waiting when Congress returns. At the same time, tax policy, trade, workforce, and infrastructure remain on ABMA’s federal agenda. 

Here is what ABMA is watching: 

• Tax policy: Protect bonus depreciation, immediate expensing, and Section 199A so independent dealers can keep investing in equipment, fleets, facilities, and employees. 

• Workforce: Reduce the cost and barriers to training commercial drivers and give employers more flexibility to build their own workforce. 

• Trade: Tariff policy continues to create uncertainty across the building-materials supply chain. Dealers need predictable trade policy and competitive material costs. 

• Infrastructure: Preserve appropriate Buy America exemptions and prevent federal procurement requirements from unnecessarily increasing construction costs. 

• Appropriations: Congress will return to complete FY2027 spending bills before the December 11 funding deadline. 

The congressional calendar may be quiet for the next several weeks, but advocacy does not stop when Congress leaves town. This is the time for dealers to make their voices heard at home, while members of Congress are back in their districts. The conversations happening now can help shape what makes it onto the legislative agenda when lawmakers return after the election. 

For independent dealers, these are not abstract Washington debates. They affect whether a business buys a new truck, replaces a forklift, expands its yard, hires another driver, or puts off an investment. ABMA will continue making the case that federal policy should give independent businesses the certainty and flexibility they need to invest, compete, and keep building.