After an estimated $6 billion in spending and months of fierce campaigning, the results of the Nov. 6 federal elections have left things about where they were: President Obama is still president, the Democrats have increased their Senate majority by a couple of seats, and the Republicans’ control of the House remains nearly as strong as it was.
两党的交易现在会占上风，而冲突曾经是规则？
"It's a new ball game, but the teams are the same," says David Bauer, senior vice president of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
The construction industry will be watching how the teams address key legislative proposals, including infrastructure spending and regulatory and labor issues, among others.
在112中Th国会，白宫和国会阵容在重大立法问题上创造了一个热烈的党派环境和近乎网格的环境。
少数例外是两项关键建设法案的两党协议：四年的航空重新授权和27个月的地表运输法案，这是21次进步英石世纪法（MAP-21）。这些法案必须走很长时间，颠簸的道路，但在2012年确实颁布了。
A key question for construction is whether the election results will prompt the two sides to edge more toward such bipartisan deal-making and away from entrenched, widely differing positions.
第一次测试将进行在下周开始的la脚鸭会议上，当议员们必须决定如何避免摆脱“财政悬崖”（12月31日到期的税收减免）和强制性支出的税收减免票和强制性支出在预算“固定”下，在1月2日开始进行的削减。
Willingness To Negotiate
On Nov. 9, President Obama said he had invited congresional leaders from both parties to the White House next week to start to address the fiscal issues. Later that day, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the meeting would take place on Nov. 16. Earlier, congressional leaders indicated they were open to negotiating.
On Nov. 7, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a press conference, "We have to sit down and act on [debt reduction] now, not later.” He added, “I will do everything in my power to be as conciliatory as possible … but I want everyone to understand that you can’t push us around.”
11月7日晚些时候，众议院议长约翰·博纳（John Boehner）（R-Ohio）告诉记者，共和党人愿意与奥巴马合作解决税收和支出问题。他说，共和党可以通过“遏制特殊利益漏洞和扣除”的税收代码变更“接受一些额外的收入”。
But Boehner also said, "[Obama] must be willing to reduce spending and shore up entitlement programs.”
尽管如此，仍出现了可能的摩擦点。奥巴马呼吁采取行动，以每年赚取25万美元的收入为目前的税率。当天早些时候，博纳（Boehner）在新闻发布会上说，提高最富有的纳税人的利率将影响许多小型企业主。他说：“提高税率将减缓我们创造每个人都想要的工作的能力。”
到期的减税措施会影响许多建筑，尤其是那些公司作为合伙企业或S公司组织并以个人费率缴税的人。封存削减可能会对许多建筑计划（包括美国环境保护局的水基础设施帐户）造成打击。
奥巴马在10月22日与共和党竞争对手的竞争对手米特·罗姆尼（Mitt Romney）的辩论中，他坦率地说，封存“不会发生”，但他并没有详尽。
