Tim Walberg: “I thank the chairman. I appreciate the concern that my colleague has on this issue. I know it is sincere. I think there…”

“I thank the chairman. I appreciate the concern that my colleague has on this issue. I know it is sincere. I think there is every one in this Chamber that has concerns that our laborers, our employees, and individual citizens be treated fairly and treated with respect, safety, and all of the rest by their employers. Mr. Chairman, we all agree that bad actors who deny workers basic protections, including wage and overtime pay, shouldn't be rewarded with government contracts funded by taxpayer dollars. That is a given. There is a suspension and disbarment process already in place under current law. If an employer has a history of bad behavior, Federal agencies know about it and have the authority to deny that employer Federal contracts. My question is: Has anyone suggested the current process isn't working? I don't believe so, Mr. Chairman. Earlier this year, we held a joint subcommittee hearing, in fact, on this issue in relation to the President's executive order that functions to blacklist Federal contractors for alleged Federal and State labor law violations, including the FLSA. The committee received a substantial load of evidence regarding the inherent flaws of the President's executive order, which, like this amendment, supersedes agencies' current authority to exclude problematic contractors, causing significant delays and disruption to the Federal procurement system.…”