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AED’s Senior Leadership Storms D.C., Talk Tax, Infrastructure, Workforce

On Oct. 23-24, members of AED’s Board of Directors visited Washington, D.C. to advocate on the industry’s behalf. With comprehensive tax reform at the top of the congressional agenda, it was an opportune time to meet with Trump administration officials and leading lawmakers, including:

• David Kautter, Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy & Acting IRS Commissioner
• Mark Calabria, Chief Economist to Vice President Pence
• Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), House Rules Committee Chairman
• Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), New Democrat Coalition Chairman
• Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), House Democratic Whip
• Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), House Democratic Policy & Communications Committee Co-Chair
• Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Chairman
• Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Senate Finance Committee Chairman

Discussions primarily focused on AED’s tax policy priorities, such as protecting the business interest deduction, like-kind exchanges and LIFO, ensuring corporate and pass-through reform proceeds simultaneously so both large and small businesses benefit from improvements to the code and reduced rates, repealing the estate tax and maintaining the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. Additionally, workforce development issues were at the top of the agenda.

Thank you to those who took the time to visit Washington to represent the construction equipment industry. The delegation, led by AED’s Chairman Wes Stowers (Stowers Machinery Corporation), included the following members of the association’s leadership:

• Diane Benck, AED Vice Chairman (West Side Tractor Sales Co.)
• Michael Brennan, AED Senior Vice President (Bramco, LLC)
• Paul Farrell, AED Board Member (Modern Group Ltd.)
• John Kimball, AED Vice President of Finance (Kimball Equipment Company)
• Whit Perryman, AED Immediate Past Chairman (Vermeer Texas-Louisiana)
• John Shearer, AED Board Member (4 Rivers Equipment, LLC)
• Denny Vander Molen, AED Foundation Chairman (Vermeer MidSouth, Inc.)
• Michael Vazquez, AED Board Member (MECO Miami, Inc.)

Be sure to register for the AED 2018 Summit & CONDEX, Jan. 15-19, in Las Vegas, where politics and policy will be at the forefront with keynote addresses by former presidential contender Carly Fiorina, Fox News host and political commentator Laura Ingraham and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, a member of the House Democratic Policy & Communications Committee.