U.S. Senator Katie Britt of Alabama joined Senator Mike Lee of Utah and other colleagues in introducing legislation on May 8 to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, a law governing wage rates for federally funded construction projects.
The proposal aims to address concerns over what supporters describe as inflated government spending on construction. The Davis-Bacon Act, enacted nearly a century ago, requires that workers on federal projects be paid prevailing wages based on local private sector rates. “The Davis-Bacon Act is a nearly century-old, outdated law,” said Senator Britt. “It drives up federal costs, hurts American workers, and unfairly advantages organized labor. Repealing this antiquated law would provide relief for taxpayers and improve government efficiency by instituting more accurate prevailing wage calculations on federal construction projects.”
Supporters of the repeal point to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office that suggest eliminating the act could save $17.8 billion over ten years. Critics argue that current methods used by the Department of Labor to calculate prevailing wages do not reflect true local averages but instead can elevate union influence and disadvantage some workers.
Senator Lee said, “When big government offers to help, it usually creates more problems than it fixes. The Davis-Bacon Act is no exception. It is an antiquated piece of legislation that hurts middle class workers and every American taxpayer. Repealing this single bill would save tens of billions of tax dollars. It is high-time that Congress passes the Davis-Bacon Repeal Act.” An investigation by the Department of Labor Inspector General reportedly found 832 errors across 49 contractors in wage determinations made by an enforcement department rather than using Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
The legislation has been cosponsored by Senators Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Tim Scott, Ron Johnson, James Lankford, and Ted Budd; it also has support from organizations such as the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council and Associated Builders and Contractors.
Britt serves Alabamians through services like coordinating with federal agencies and nominating candidates for U.S. service academies; she chairs the homeland security appropriations subcommittee; advocates for family values, economic opportunities and social media safeguards for minors; emphasizes policies promoting mental health access, educational options for youth protection online, agricultural aid and national security; holds roles on Senate committees including appropriations as well as judiciary; previously led Alabama’s business council—all according to the official website.
