After Nov. 6, Industry Focuses on Hill, Keystone

摘要

The fierce and expensive federal election campaigns produced no major power shifts: President Obama was re-elected; Democrats added two seats to their Senate majority; and Republicans held the House, though they lost seven seats. Leaving aside blue-state, red-state maps, construction officials are focusing on pressing legislative and regulatory issues. Avoiding the "fiscal cliff' is the immediate matter. Obama and Capitol Hill leaders began talks on Nov. 16 to decide the fate of billions of dollars in tax breaks that expire on Dec. 31 and mandatory spending cuts that kick in on Jan. 2 (see p. 29).