Brown Leads Letter to DOL Opposing Rollback of Anti-Discrimination Policy for Federal Contractors

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) led a letter in strong opposition to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed rule rescinding the Equal Employment Opportunity Executive Order 11246, a bedrock civil rights protection first issued by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. The Equal Employment Opportunity order prohibited employment discrimination by federal contractors. 

This proposed rule follows President Trump’s January Executive Order that terminated anti-discrimination policies across the federal government.  In February, Brown introduced legislation to codify the Equal Employment Opportunity Executive Order into federal law. That legislation (H.R. 989) now has 92 cosponsors in the House. 

Brown’s letter was co-signed by eight members of the House of Representatives, and was sent to the Secretary of Labor during the Public Comment Period for DOL’s proposed rule rescinding EO 11246. 

The signees write, “Rescinding this executive order threatens all of the progress that has been achieved to eradicate discrimination in federal contracting over recent decades.”

Brown’s letter is signed by: Rep. Donald Beyer, Rep. Cleo Fields, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Rep. James McGovern, Rep. Kevin Mullin, Rep. Shri Thanedar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Rep. Nikema Williams. 

The text of the letter is available here and copied below: 

The Honorable Lori M. Chavez-DeRemer

Secretary of Labor

U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Ave NW

Washington, DC. 20210

Dear Secretary Chavez-DeRemer,

As Members of Congress committed to ensuring and advancing equity, civil rights, and economic opportunity for all Americans, we write in strong opposition of the Department of Labor’s proposed rule “Recission of Executive Order 11246 Implementing Regulations.”

Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, Executive Order 11246 (EO 11246) has been a cornerstone of the federal government’s commitment to equal opportunity in employment. This order directly charged the Department of Labor with enforcing anti-discrimination and equal employment opportunities in federal contracting, which prohibited federal contractors from discriminating in hiring and employment practices based on race, color, gender, religion, or national origin and required them to be proactive in ensuring they are not discriminating.

Rescinding this executive order threatens all of the progress that has been achieved to eradicate discrimination in federal contracting over recent decades. This executive order provided protections for women, black and brown individuals, and those is in the LGBTQ+ community by ensuring not only that they were hired when qualified but also being considered when there were opportunities for promotions. Under the authority of EO 11246, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has been able to bring enforcement actions against federal contractors that engaged in discrimination, directly protecting more than 10.3 million workers through worksite investigations over the last 10 years and securing financial relief for more than 250,000 workers.^[1]

We cannot turn our backs on these communities and allow for all this progress to be undone. The federal government must continue to work toward a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workforce. we encourage the Department to reconsider this proposed rule and continue upholding the principles of Executive Order 11246.

Sincerely,

[Signatures]