US President Donald Trump signed the Secure America Act on Wednesday, securing a $70 billion budget for immigration enforcement.
The bill provides the resources needed to secure the border, combat human trafficking, stop the flow of deadly drugs, dismantle criminal cartels, and enforce immigration laws. The package allocates $38 billion to ICE and $26 billion to Border Patrol. House Republicans passed the reconciliation bill by a narrow 214–212 vote, with the Senate approving it the previous week. The funding covers immigration enforcement and border security operations through fiscal year 2029.
The Build America 250 bill is a proposed transportation infrastructure funding package covering federal projects between 2027 and 2031 and would succeed the Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which expires in the coming months.
Goldman analysts, led by Ben Rada Martin, stated that the Build America 250 bill has cleared House committee approval with limited amendments, providing greater clarity around $580 billion for highways, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure.
One main point from the Goldman note is that Build America 250 is not another IIJA-style boom. For the Federal Highway Administration, Martin sees only about an 8% nominal increase relative to IIJA levels, after IIJA delivered a more than 50% federal funding uplift.
Martin pointed out that bridge funding jumped by about 29%, while rail and transit programs face reductions. He expects public highway spending to grow by 6% in 2026 and 5% in 2027, though much of that reflects inflation rather than real volume growth. After adjusting for construction cost inflation, he expects flat-to-slightly negative volume trends.
"Nominal uplift, with a mix shift to bridges, transit sees cuts: We go through the 1,000-page draft document and amendments to date, with the recent bill implying a broad continuation in spending with a category mix shift toward bridges (+29%), while rail and transit administrations see cuts," Martin wrote in a note published on Monday.
Highways in detail - Limited expansion, especially net of inflation
Goldman's prediction model indicates that public construction should continue to grow, but at a slower pace after a very strong 2021 to 2025 period.
Martin said the stock impact of the Build America 250 bill on construction-linked companies is viewed as neutral to slightly negative.
Engineering and Construction - Neutral/Mix:
US (GVA, AECOM, J): We view the bill as broadly net neutral for GVA (diversified civil contractor), as funding implies flat to modest real volume declines. For Jacobs and AECOM (engineering and design firms), we see a modest negative impact, reflecting cuts to rail and transit. While state and local infrastructure accounts for ~25–30% of revenue for both companies, we believe they are relatively overweight transit versus traditional infrastructure (e.g., roads, bridges, tunnels).
EU (Ferrovial): The bill is likely to be neutral for Ferrovial's construction division - with Webber and Ferrovial Construction largely exposed to the broad US infrastructure segment, across bridges, highways, waterworks, and energy. When it comes to future infrastructure projects (P3), Ferrovial could benefit from lower government infrastructure spend, given lower crowding out effects increasing private market opportunities and ROI.
Lightside building materials
(EU - Sika, SGO) - Neutral: Construction Chemicals are used in more complex engineering projects and in greater quantities in infrastructure refurbishment. Hence, we see the uplift in funding towards Bridge renovations as a positive, while see this to be offset by lower funding in transport and transit related categories. Sika is the most exposed with US Infra representing c.7% of Group (GSe).
Heavyside building materials - Neutral/Mixed:
Cement (EU - Buzzi, Heidelberg, Latam - CX) - Neutral: Cement in our view is relatively project agnostic between bridges and highways. Hence, we see neutral implications, with strong Bridge spend offset by lower transport funding and limited uplift in nominal highway spend.
Aggregates (EU - Heidelberg, Latam - CX) - Slight negative: Given only a small nominal funding increase for highways (key aggregate end-market), and expectations of continued pricing growth (c. +MSD) and inflation in the category, we believe levels of volume growth may be muted. While other spend categories of growth (Bridges) are less aggregate intensive.
The understanding here is that Build America 250 keeps federal infrastructure spending ongoing, but it should not be viewed as a new infrastructure supercycle.
Lame-duck Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) suggested during an unhinged episode podcast that she too would have stabbed track star Austin Metcalf — afterKarmelo Anthonywas convicted of first-degree murder in the racially charged case.
On Tuesday’s episode of “Clock It with Crockett,” the failed Senate candidate let loose a torrent of falsehoods to paint a picture of the brutal slaying of 17-year-old Metcalf that had virtually no basis in reality.
Outgoing Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) uncorked a series of misstatements about the Karmelo Anthony murder case on her podcast this week.Getty Images
Rep. Jasmine Crockett weighs in on the Karmelo Anthony verdict.X/EndWokeness
The cavalcade of inaccuracies started with Crockett downplaying the size of the semi-serrated, 5-inch pocket knife Anthony was convicted of plunging into Metcalf’s chest during a dispute at a track meet at Memorial High School in Frisco, Texas, last April.
“Wait a minute, it was this?” she said, holding her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart to demonstrate the size of the murder weapon.
“Was it a switch? I don’t know what he had,” Crockett said, inadvertently telegraphing her flimsy grasp of the facts of the case that has roiled her home state for more than a year.
One of her guests claimed the knife was “a multi-tool” akin to a Swiss army knife.
“Yeah, like with the little scissors and everything and whatever. So it was small,” Crockett said, furrowing her brow and squinting her eyes in disbelief.
“Well, I would argue the size of it alone, you wouldn’t even think it’s a deadly weapon.”
Austin Metcalf, 17, was stabbed to death after a track meet at his school after a confrontation with Anthony over his presence in a team tent.Meghan Prall Metcalf/Facebook
Pictures of the knife have not been released, but it was described as having one-handed opening and a semi-serrated blade with a sharp point.
Anthony’s knife penetrated Metcalf’s sternum and entered his heart, leaving a “gaping” 2-inch stab wound and causing the teenager to bleed to death.
Crockett continued, flagrantly embellishing every single detail of the confrontation that led to the deadly stabbing.
“If a 300-pound man is beating me, like on top of me and beating me down, I’m not limited to fists,” she said, seemingly implying she too would have stabbed the high school athlete.
Parra testified that when confronted, Anthony immediately got aggressive, daring Metcalf to “touch me” and warning that “you’re going to have to move me” while putting his hand inside his bag to indicate he had a weapon.
According to witnesses, Metcalf shoved Anthony, who then pulled out the knife and stabbed him in the chest in what Collin County DA Bill Wirskye called a “sneak attack.”
Karmelo Anthony is freed after making bond following Austin Metcalf’s stabbing.FOX 4 NEWS
Contrary to Crockett’s fact-free assertions, there was no “beating,” Metcalf was never “on top” of Anthony and Metcalf weighed nowhere near the formidable 300 pounds the congresswoman alleged.
X users flooded posts sharing clips of Crockett’s podcast with comments pointing out her misstatements of even the simplest facts in the case.
“Why does it matter what he used to kill him? A rope isn’t a deadly weapon until it’s used to strangle someone. Like how stupid can you be?” one X user asked incredulously.
“Pretty sure Metcalf is dead, so it sounds like a deadly weapon to me,” another poster chimed in.
Police were called to the David Kuykendall Stadium after the fatal stabbing.Fox4
“So she has twisted this story into something that did not happen. She’s an absolute imbecile. She should have at least googled what happened before she opened her dumb mouth!” said a third.
Crockett, an attorney, has previously made gaffes indicating a twisted understanding of the criminal justice system, including the infamously ponderous statement “Just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal” on Jonathan Van Ness’ “Getting Better” podcast, for which she was widely ridiculed.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun to "fight" for a Hezbollah- and Iran-free Lebanon, in an Arabic-language video issued by his office.
"We have the full right to defend ourselves, and so long as there is no clear arrangement that protects our nation, it will be impossible to move forward. So it's in your hands, fight for it," Herzog said. "It depends only on you. Denounce Hezbollah from among you, remove Iran and its proxies. Do not be afraid - say it and act."
Herzog's remarks followed Aoun's CNN interview in which he denounced Iran and Hezbollah and accused the Islamic Republic of using Lebanon "for the sake of your own interest." Israel believes that the Lebanese military is not doing enough to disarm Hezbollah and remove it from their common border.
The Gulf Cooperation Council's Ministerial Council on Wednesday issued a sharp condemnation of Iranian drone and ballistic missilestrikestargeting Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
The Council denounced the attacks as a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, affirming that any aggression against one member state constitutes an attack on all GCC nations. The statement underscored that Iranian "hostile acts do not serve any understanding or rapprochement, but rather distance peoples, undermine the foundations of trust, sow discord, and close the doors of dialogue that the Council countries have always called for."
Holding Iran fully responsible, the Gulf states demanded an immediate halt to all hostilities and reaffirmed the right of member states to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The Iranian Mission to the United Nations in Vienna criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors on Wednesday after it adopted a resolution demanding that Tehran report its remaining enriched uranium stocks and allow inspectors to verify them.
The mission stated on X that the board adopted "another political resolution on Iran's peaceful nuclear activities" that was "devoid of professionalism expected from a technical body." It also questioned, "How can #IAEA be trusted when instrumentalized by warmongers," and said the resolution "hypocritically expresses support for a diplomatic solution" as the United States continues "acts of aggression."
The US-backed resolution passed with 21 votes in favor, three against, and 10 abstaining, according to Reuters. The measure calls on Iran to disclose the status of its remaining enriched uranium and provide inspectors access to verify it after US and Israeli strikes last year damaged the country's known uranium-enrichment facilities.
A United States Air Force (USAF) B-52H Stratofortress heavy strategic bomber is moving from the Sigonella base in Sicily, Italy, toward the Middle East, FlightRadar data indicated on Wednesday.
The aircraft, which was already used to attack targets in Iran during the conflict in March and April, appears to be currently moving across the Mediterranean Sea, with its ultimate destination unknown.
Tensions between Washington and Iran are on the rise yet again, after both nations carried out mutual strikes last night. US President Donald Trump also indicated earlier today that Iran will have to "pay the price" for dragging out negotiations, adding he is again considering bombing the Middle Eastern country's plants and bridges.
