Kline, Roe call Obama administration’s final blacklisting rule “unworkable”

U.S. Reps. John Kline (R-MN) and Phil Roe (R-TN) recently called the Obama administration’s final blacklisting rule that was announced on Wednesday “redundant, unnecessary and unworkable.”

The Federal Acquisition Rule, commonly called the “blacklisting” rule, was issued by the Labor Department to implement President Barack Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order.

The Labor Department said that the final rule and guidance were “designed to increase efficiency and cost savings by ensuring that federal contractors are responsible and provide basic workplace protections.”

Kline, the chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Roe, the chairman of that committee’s Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee, countered in a joint statement that the measures would add a layer of bureaucracy to federal contracting.

“Bad actors who deny workers basic protections shouldn’t receive government contracts, and for decades, there’s been a system in place designed to hold those bad actors accountable,” the lawmakers said. “Unfortunately, this administration would rather spend time and resources creating new layers of bureaucracy instead of using its existing authority to enforce current protections. This redundant, unnecessary, and unworkable regulatory scheme isn’t about protecting the rights of workers. It’s about growing government and promoting a culture of union favoritism.”

Flawed regulatory policies like the blacklisting rule tie up law-abiding employers in a maze of red tape, the lawmakers said, and make workforce protections less efficient.

“The American people deserve smart regulatory policies that serve their best interests,” Kline and Roe said. “Yet, once again, the Obama administration has taken an extreme regulatory approach that will do more harm than good for workers, employers, and taxpayers.”