National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) President and CEO Eric R. Byer released the following statement on the start of the 118^th Congress:

“NACD welcomes the start of the new, 118^th Congress. We congratulate Kevin McCarthy (CA-20) on becoming the new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and we welcome the incoming committee chairs as they begin their new leadership roles in this Congress.

“Chemical distributors, like so many other businesses, have faced several unprecedented workforce and supply chain challenges over the last few years. NACD is looking forward to collaborating with members of Congress and committees on several issues central to the continued growth and security of the industry.

“Some of these policy priorities include reauthorizing the highly effective Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, supporting the retroactive renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), and assessing the impact of renewed chemical excise taxes reinstated under the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). NACD and its members also support efforts to promote greater freight rail competition and improve the efficiency of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). These issues proved particularly significant after the threat of a rail strike last year.

“We look forward to working with the 118^th Congress to ensure continued growth for our economy and all American businesses, including the chemical distribution industry.”

For more information, visit: www.nacd.com.