As the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) nears its September 30, 2026, expiration, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill on May 19, 2026. The Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th (BUILD America 250) Act authorizes $580 billion in funding for roads, bridges, rail, and transit systems. Historically, crafting surface transportation bills is a bipartisan effort. The BUILD America 250 Act, which cleared committee by a 62-2 vote, is no different.

Here are four things to know about the BUILD America 250 Act.

Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.0 months in July, according to an ABC member survey conducted July 20 to Aug. 4. The reading is down 0.8 months from both a month and year ago.

Every industry, region and company size experienced a decline in backlog in July. The South remains the only region with larger backlog than one year ago. 

Construction input prices ticked up 0.1% month over month in July and were about 7.4% higher than July 2025, according to an analysis of the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Associated Builders and Contractors released recently.

Lower energy costs, particularly in crude petroleum and unprocessed energy materials, helped keep the monthly increase muted, said Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist.

AI is unlikely to be an extinction event for AEC firms, but it could meaningfully change who leads the industry. Early adopters are reporting productivity gains from design, modeling, and construction-feasibility workflows, though these advantages will likely soon be table stakes. The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) projects that the AEC industry could unlock roughly $228 billion by 2030 in annual value in the United States through AI and other automation technologies, while in Europe, the impact on the construction sector alone could equate to roughly $126 billion.