Rep. Lloyd Smucker
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) on Nov. 15 led more than 20 Republicans in proposing a resolution to block implementation of a Biden administration regulation that the congressman says would directly lead to higher taxes on Americans.
“With deficits totaling nearly $2 trillion last fiscal year and with a mounting national debt, every effort must be taken to drive down costs, not unilaterally raise them,” Rep. Smucker said. “The free market should determine wages, not a nearly century-old formula. This regulation is wrong for American taxpayers and must be stopped.”
Rep. Smucker sponsored House Joint Resolution (H.J.Res.) 103, which would provide for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5 of the U.S. Code of the final rule submitted by the U.S. Labor Department entitled “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation.”
The Labor Department on Aug. 8 issued the final rule to update regulations that implement the Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts to better reflect the needs of construction workers on federal construction investments, according to the announcement, which called the updates “the most comprehensive in decades.”
However, according to Rep. Smucker, the Biden administration wants to require prevailing wages for federal or federally funded construction projects that will cause a dramatic increase in costs.
“American families continue to struggle with higher costs caused by the Biden administration’s failed policies. If this regulation is allowed to be implemented, taxpayers can expect to be on the hook for artificially inflated federal construction costs,” said the congressman. “This misguided regulation is yet another giveaway to Democrat political allies at the expense of the American taxpayers.”
If enacted, H.J.Res. 103 would resolve that both chambers of Congress disapprove of the final rule, which would “have no force or effect,” according to the text of the resolution.
Among the 22 original cosponsors of the resolution are U.S. Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), Steve Womack (R-AR), Julia Letlow (R-LA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Nancy Mace (R-SC).
The resolution is supported by numerous organizations, including Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for Prosperity, Heritage Action, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, the National Right to Work Committee, the Freedom Foundation, the American Fire Sprinkler Association, American Pipeline Contractors Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, Independent Electrical Contractors, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, among many others.