The Biden Administration and the Roofing Industry

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.  

Major news outlets have declared Joe Biden the winner of the election; what that means for roofing and construction. 

The recent election has left many of us wondering how a new administration’s policies and initiatives will affect the roofing industry. Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO Associated General Contractors of America’s (AGCA) CEO, said in a statement over the weekend, “We are ready to work with the incoming administration and Congress to help craft an agenda that is focused in rebuilding infrastructure and reviving the national economy.”  

The AGCA statement also indicated that they “expect President-elect Biden and the new Congress to keep their promise and dedicate themselves to the task of bringing together all parties and positions by enacting measures that will help rebuild our country.” 

The Biden-Harris campaign theme was a promise to Build Back Better. According to joebiden.com, Biden plans to make a $2 trillion accelerated investment with money geared toward upgrading four million buildings and weatherizing two million homes over the next four years, creating at least one-million “good-paying jobs.” Much of this upgrading and weatherization could conceivably be installing more energy-efficient roofing systems and the plan specifically mentions direct cash rebates for more energy-efficient windows.    

A look at the recently passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, the U.S. House of Representatives agreed to invest “more than $1.5 trillion in our nation’s roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports and harbors, schools, housing, broadband, drinking and wastewater systems, postal service, clean energy sector, health care infrastructure, and so much more.”  

This investment into the nation’s infrastructure will provide a boost to the economy and create more work for contractors, but some worry about the strings that might be attached. Construction Dive reports that “while contractors would certainly benefit from that infusion of funding for civil projects, they would be held to account for what it's spent on and how they operate their own businesses.” This is because Biden has plans to require buying American made and the inclusion of a diverse workforce that includes women and minority-owned businesses.  

Jimmy Christiansen, vice president of government relations at AGCA, told Construction Dive, "The possibility of a large infusion of capital in the coming months would be welcomed. But again, the strings that are attached to that capital are going to be our biggest concerns.” 

And what about immigration? Christiansen shared that workers in either the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival or those with Temporary Protected Status would likely see the program become part of a statute or immigration package.  

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