Hardwood Floors August/September 2025

By Dana Lee Cole

2025, it’s more like trench warfare. Deep divisions remain between fiscal hawks demanding spending cuts and others pushing for expanded investments in economic growth, including infrastructure and workforce development. Defense and Division. Even traditionally bipartisan efforts like the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) are now sources of partisan wrangling. While the NDAA has long been seen as “must-pass” legislation, this year’s version has become weighed down by unrelated policy riders, culture war amendments, and broader geopolitical anxieties. Last year was an unusual year for the Hardwood Federation; we engaged actively on the NDAA in order to get language encouraging adoption of American red oak for use in military truck beds. We also worked to get

Reconciliation: Big Promise, Bigger Problems. Reconciliation, a powerful tool to pass budget-related legislation with a simple Senate majority, is supposed to streamline action. But this year’s massive reconciliation bill, packed with expiring business tax provisions and new revenue raisers, became a political lightning rod. Lawmakers were at odds over what stayed, what was cut, and who paid. Negotiations went late into the night – some running into early morning hours. Ultimately the bill passed and was signed by the president, much to the surprise of many political pundits. However, the tensions between and within party lines that grew out of this process will have a chilling effect on much needed cooperation to move additional legislation this year and next. The Budget Battle. Crafting and passing a federal budget has always involved sausage-making, but in

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NWFA WOOD FLOORING INDUSTRY GUIDE 2025

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