ABMA Advocacy Day 2026: Construction Leaders Head to Washington, DC

What happens in Washington rarely feels immediate. Until it reshapes the cost of building a home. The decisions made inside Congressional offices affect far more than policy documents. They shape construction timelines, materials costs, lending conditions, and ultimately the homes, commercial buildings, and infrastructure projects that define American communities.

This April 14–15, the American Building Materials Alliance (ABMA) is putting independent lumber and building materials dealers directly in those rooms, for two days of unfiltered, face-to-face engagement with federal lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

2 Days of direct Congressional engagement

Apr 14–15 Washington, D.C., 2026

13+ States represented

The Organization Behind the Movement

Established in August 2021, ABMA was built on a straightforward premise: the lumber and building materials industry, one of the most consequential sectors in the U.S. economy, needed a unified, organized presence at the federal level.

The alliance represents Lumber Building Materials (LBM) dealers and associated businesses across Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., operating under a clear mandate to advance, shape, and influence policy across all branches of government.

ABMA is powered by two of the industry's most established regional trade bodies: the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA) and the Florida Building Material Association (FBMA). Rather than a traditional top-down trade body, the alliance is volunteer-driven, led by active industry professionals who bring practical, operational insight to every policy conversation they engage in.

WHO ABMA REPRESENTS

ABMA members are locally owned, independent small and medium-sized businesses positioned at a critical junction in the construction supply chain, bridging manufacturers and the active job sites where residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects are built.

Their customers include home builders, general contractors, specialty trades, and individual homeowners. When federal policy disrupts material costs or supply availability, these businesses feel it first.

Built America Magazine: A Bridge Between Industry and Decision-Makers

OUR ROLE Built America Magazine is more than a trade publication. As a B2B platform read by developers, construction executives, and industry decision-makers, we serve as a deliberate bridge between the construction industry as it operates today and the future it is actively building toward. Whether the conversation involves mass timber and cross-laminated construction, modular and off-site manufacturing, traditional stick-frame residential development, or emerging smart-building technologies, Built America Magazine exists to document, analyze, and amplify the ideas, innovations, and challenges that deserve attention at every level: from the job site, to the boardroom, to policy discussions at the federal level. We serve the industry through credible, unbiased coverage, ensuring that the hardships facing contractors and dealers, the breakthroughs redefining how we build, and the policy decisions affecting every stakeholder in the construction ecosystem are communicated clearly to the executives and developers who need that intelligence most.
AMPLIFY Industry innovation & breakthroughs ADVOCATE Hardships needing policy attention CONNECT Executives, developers & legislators BRIDGE Today's challenges, tomorrow's solutions

It is through that lens that Built America stays closely engaged with leaders like Francis Palasieski, Government Affairs Director for both ABMA and the NRLA, tracking federal legislative developments and regulatory shifts that carry real consequences for construction industry stakeholders. Advocacy Day 2026 embodies that work, making it visible.

"The health of the LBM industry is inseparable from the nation's ability to build affordable, accessible housing. These businesses don't lobby from a distance; they live the consequences of federal policy every day."

— Built America Magazine

What's on the 2026 Advocacy Agenda

ABMA members attending this year's event will advance three priority positions that reflect the operational realities facing independent dealers and their customers, from homebuilders navigating razor-thin margins to developers managing multi-year project pipelines:

1	The “Building Homes, Not Costs” Housing Proposal ABMA's flagship housing affordability initiative calls on federal lawmakers to reduce the structural cost barriers that are slowing residential construction output and keeping home ownership financially inaccessible for a growing segment of the American public. For developers and builders, this proposal directly addresses the upstream conditions that affect project feasibility.
2	Practical Regulatory Reform ABMA is advocating for targeted regulatory reforms that reduce unnecessary friction in the construction supply chain, without compromising safety, environmental standards, or worker protections. For construction executives managing complex project approvals, streamlined federal regulation translates directly to reduced timelines and cost certainty.
3	Reducing Credit Card Swipe Fees Processing fees on credit card transactions have emerged as one of the most rapidly growing operational costs for independent LBM dealers. As transaction volumes scale with material prices, the burden compounds. ABMA is pressing Congress for structural reform that levels the playing field for small and mid-sized businesses competing against larger, better-capitalized distributors.

Why This Moment Demands Industry Presence

The U.S. construction sector is navigating a period of significant pressure. Housing supply remains critically constrained, material costs have restructured project economics across virtually every asset class, and workforce availability continues to lag demand. These are not abstract market conditions; they are operational realities that affect every decision a developer or contractor makes from acquisition through delivery.

ABMA Advocacy Day is a direct response to that environment. When LBM dealers, the businesses that physically move materials from manufacturers to job sites, walk into Congressional offices and make the case for policy reform, they carry ground-level intelligence that is rarely accessible to federal policymakers from any other source. The goal, as expressed by ABMA members, is not to represent a narrow commercial interest, but to align federal policy with the practical realities of building in America today.

For construction executives and real estate developers tracking the policy landscape, the outcomes of events like this have downstream implications for project costs, regulatory timelines, and the broader housing supply equation that underpins nearly every segment of the built environment market.

Attend ABMA Advocacy Day 2026 — April 14–15, Washington, D.C.

LBM dealers, industry suppliers, and affiliated stakeholders are encouraged to participate. Financial assistance may be available through your state or local trade association. Contact them directly about grant opportunities that may help offset attendance costs. For sponsorship information and full event details, visit the ABMA website.

Built America Magazine will continue to report on ABMA's federal advocacy efforts and the policy developments reshaping the construction industry, bringing our executive and developer readership the analysis they need to make informed decisions in a rapidly evolving industry.

Featured image cc: ABMA