Contact: Jeff Leieritz (202) 905-2104              [email protected]

For Immediate Release July 31, 2014

Washington, D.C. – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s new executive order impacting the federal contracting community:

“President Obama’s executive order is yet another example of politically motivated executive overreach that will end up harming taxpayers and the economy in the long run,” said ABC Vice President of Government Affairs Geoff Burr. “We are concerned these sweeping changes threaten the due process rights of federal contractors and conflict with existing federal procurement and labor law. While we appreciate efforts to ensure contractors comply with complex laws, the subjective nature of the order opens the door to favoritism and abuse of government contractors by administration officials. 

“With the IRS scandal unresolved, it is hard to fathom that this administration wants to place more unelected bureaucrats in a position to subjectively pick winners and losers in the $500 billion a year federal contracting marketplace,” said Burr. “ABC and the federal contracting community across all industries are prepared to fight this order in the courts and in Congress.”

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council will draft regulations and guidance implementing the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, which will be published for public comment before being finalized.


Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association representing nearly 21,000 chapter members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 70 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically, profitably and for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit us at www.abc.org.