Federal Policy in Focus: TRIA’s December 2025 Government Relations Report

Tile Roofing Industry Alliance Lobbyist, Craig Brightup, has provided the latest government relations update and activities on the following from December 2025:


Trump Nominations
On Dec. 11, the Senate passed a procedural resolution to bring up another batch of (97) Trump Administration nominees that includes the President’s picks for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – James Murphy and Scott Mayer for the board and Crystal Carey for General  Counsel.  TRIA signed on to the attached Coalition for a Democratic Workplace letter urging quick action for Mayer whose process fell behind Murphy’s and Carey’s. 

Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Trump’s Efforts To Fire Independent Agency Officials
On Dec. 8, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard arguments on the president’s authority to fire independent regulators.  The case involves whether President Trump can fire a Democrat member of the Federal Trade Commission because she does not align with his agenda.  SCOTUS’s conservative justices appear likely to side with Trump in a move that could shift power from Congress to the president and usher in a major change in how the government is structured.  Reversing 90 years of legal precedent, it would allow the president fire members of independent agencies like the National Labor Relations Board and Consumer Product Safety Commission for any reason and could also have implications for the Federal Reserve Board.

Dismantling the Dept. of Education
The White House has moved the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) portal from the Dept. of Education (ED) to the Dept. of Labor (DOL) as the Administration continues to dismantle ED.

Zero Emissions Buildings
On Dec. 3, the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation rescinded its National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building.  DOE explained “this action lowers costs and promotes freedom of choice in the buildings sector by relieving developers, investors, and building owners of indirect pressure to account for federal guidelines that never had the force or effect of law.”   

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Work Permit Renewals
USCIS is reducing the length of time foreign workers can be employed in the U.S. requiring them to reauthorize their work permits every 18 months instead of every 5 years.

Government Employees
Roughly 317,000 employees left the federal government this year per the White House Office of Personnel Management.

Vote With Your Feet
The Committee to Unleash Prosperity has a new Vote with Your Feet website (www.votewithyourfeet.net) showing where people and money are moving to and from.


For more information on the TRIA Alliance and our Government Relations efforts, please visit our website at www.tileroofing.org.