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President Trump can mitigate costs by suspending federal law that artificially inflates wages for federal projects." itemprop="description"><meta name="keywords" content="" itemprop="keywords"><meta name="author" content="Patrick Gleason" itemprop="author"><meta property="og:title" content="Trump Can Boost Hurricane Cleanup Effort By Suspending Davis-Bacon"><meta property="og:image" content="https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/600x315/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F840569006%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale"><meta property="og:updated_time" content="2017-09-10T17:53:22-04:00"><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2017/08/29/trump-can-boost-hurricane-harvey-cleanup-effort-by-suspending-davis-bacon/"><meta property="og:description" content="Hurricane Harvey cleanup and reconstruction costs will be exorbitant. President Trump can mitigate costs by suspending federal law that artificially inflates wages for federal projects."><meta property="og:type" content="article"><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"><meta name="twitter:title" content="Trump Can Boost Hurricane Cleanup Effort By Suspending Davis-Bacon"><meta name="twitter:description" content="Hurricane Harvey cleanup and reconstruction costs will be exorbitant. 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    <p class=&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;>US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive n Corpus Christi, Texas on August 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)</p> 
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<p>It will take years to clean up after and repair the destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey, which will come at great cost to individuals, families, companies, and the government. As such, it is imperative for President Trump to suspend Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, which he can do by executive order, in the parts of Texas and Louisiana damaged by what is now being referred to as a once&amp;nbsp;in a millennium storm.</p> 
<p>Davis-Bacon is a more than 80 year old federal law that mandates artificially inflated wages be paid on federal contracts, thereby driving up the taxpayer cost of federally-funded projects by billions of dollars annually. A 2011 Heritage Foundation <a href=&quot;http://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/repealing-the-davis-bacon-act-would-save-taxpayers-109-billion&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;>study</a> found Davis-Bacon adds nearly $11 billion per year to construction costs.</p> 
<p>Suspending Davis-Bacon’s inflated wage requirements would not be an unprecedented move for the White House. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush partially suspended Davis-Bacon for the areas of of Florida, Louisiana, and Hawaii that were affected by Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki. President George W. Bush suspended Davis-Bacon in 2005 to mitigate cleanup and reconstruction costs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.</p> 
<p> 
 </p> 
<p>In addition to making taxpayer-funded federal projects more costly, Davis-Bacon is a law whose creation was inspired by racist motives. In a June Washington Post <a href=&quot;https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-racist-vestige-of-the-past-that-progressives-are-happy-to-leave-in-place/2017/06/16/6d5cbbba-51f3-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html?utm_term=.57db0a9281c3&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;>column</a>, George Will lays out a detailed account of the racist origins of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements:</p> 
<blockquote> 
 <p>In 1927, Rep. Robert Bacon, a Long Island Republican,&amp;nbsp;<a href=&quot;http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/leininger/Cheap-labor-concerns-are-nothing-new--but-government-s-response-should-be&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;>was miffed</a>&amp;nbsp;because the low bidder for a construction project in his district — a veterans’ hospital — was an Alabama contractor who used black labor. That year, when Bacon&amp;nbsp;<a href=&quot;http://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/creating-inner-city-jobs-suspending-the-davis-bacon-act&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;>first introduced</a>&amp;nbsp;his legislation, he showed that he was not a narrow-gauge bigot. He inserted into the Congressional Record&amp;nbsp;<a href=&quot;http://ij.org/case/brazier-construction-co-inc-v-reich/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;>the following statement</a> by 34 professors concerning immigration legislation:</p> 
 <p><em>‘We urge the extension of the quota system to all countries of North and South America from which we have substantial immigration and in which the population is not predominantly of the white race. . . . Only by this method can that large proportion of our population which is descended from the colonists . . . have their proper racial representation.’”</em></p> 
</blockquote> 
<div class=&quot;vestpocket&quot; vest-pocket=&quot;&quot;></div> 
<p>Will goes on to explain how Davis-Bacon served to limit black Americans’ right to earn a living:</p> 
<blockquote> 
 <p>In 1931, the unemployment rate of blacks was approximately the same as the rate for the general population. Davis-Bacon is one reason the rate for blacks began to deviate adversely. In 1932, generally there were&amp;nbsp;<a href=&quot;https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/damfaqs.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;>about 3,500</a> workers building what became Hoover Dam. Never more than&amp;nbsp;<a href=&quot;http://www.arizona-leisure.com/hoover-dam-men.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;>30</a>&amp;nbsp;were black.”</p> 
</blockquote> 
<p>While the need to suspend Davis-Bacon for Hurricane Harvey cleanup efforts is urgent, permanent repeal of federal prevailing wage requirements should be the ultimate goal for President Trump and congressional Republicans.</p> 
<p>By repealing this misguided and inherently racist law, federal lawmakers would free up billions of dollars in taxpayer savings that could be redeployed for other priorities, such as needed infrastructure projects. Over 30 states have state-level prevailing wage requirements similar to Davis-Bacon. Innovative governors and lawmakers in a number of states have begun moving to repeal those laws in order to save taxpayer dollars and free up scarce resources for other projects and programs.</p> 
<p>West Virginia became the most recent state to repeal its prevailing wage law, which state lawmakers did by overriding a veto from then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin last year. In the first two months following prevailing wage repeal, West Virginia taxpayers&amp;nbsp;saved&amp;nbsp;$20 million, <a href=&quot;http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/32685465/state-saving-onconstruction&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;>according</a> to the Associated Builders and Contractors of West Virginia.</p> 
<p>One year prior to the repeal of West Virginia’s inflated wage requirements, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed into law a repeal of prevailing wage requirements for local projects in the Badger State. Gov. Walker and Wisconsin lawmakers are now looking to finish the job they started two years ago by repealing prevailing wage requirements for state projects this year.</p>"><div id="attachment_840569006" class="wp-caption alignnone"> 
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 <div article-image-caption=""> 
  <div class="caption-container" ng-class="caption_state"> 
   <fbs-accordion current="0"> 
    <p class="wp-caption-text">US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive n Corpus Christi, Texas on August 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)</p> 
   </fbs-accordion> 
  </div> 
 </div> 
</div> 
<p class="speakable-paragraph">It will take years to clean up after and repair the destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey, which will come at great cost to individuals, families, companies, and the government. As such, it is imperative for President Trump to suspend Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, which he can do by executive order, in the parts of Texas and Louisiana damaged by what is now being referred to as a once&nbsp;in a millennium storm.</p> 
<p>Davis-Bacon is a more than 80 year old federal law that mandates artificially inflated wages be paid on federal contracts, thereby driving up the taxpayer cost of federally-funded projects by billions of dollars annually. A 2011 Heritage Foundation <a href="http://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/repealing-the-davis-bacon-act-would-save-taxpayers-109-billion" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">study</a> found Davis-Bacon adds nearly $11 billion per year to construction costs.</p> 
<p>Suspending Davis-Bacon’s inflated wage requirements would not be an unprecedented move for the White House. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush partially suspended Davis-Bacon for the areas of of Florida, Louisiana, and Hawaii that were affected by Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki. President George W. Bush suspended Davis-Bacon in 2005 to mitigate cleanup and reconstruction costs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.</p> 
<p> 
 </p> 
<p>In addition to making taxpayer-funded federal projects more costly, Davis-Bacon is a law whose creation was inspired by racist motives. In a June Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-racist-vestige-of-the-past-that-progressives-are-happy-to-leave-in-place/2017/06/16/6d5cbbba-51f3-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html?utm_term=.57db0a9281c3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">column</a>, George Will lays out a detailed account of the racist origins of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements:</p> 
<blockquote> 
 <p>In 1927, Rep. Robert Bacon, a Long Island Republican,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/leininger/Cheap-labor-concerns-are-nothing-new--but-government-s-response-should-be" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was miffed</a>&nbsp;because the low bidder for a construction project in his district — a veterans’ hospital — was an Alabama contractor who used black labor. That year, when Bacon&nbsp;<a href="http://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/creating-inner-city-jobs-suspending-the-davis-bacon-act" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">first introduced</a>&nbsp;his legislation, he showed that he was not a narrow-gauge bigot. He inserted into the Congressional Record&nbsp;<a href="http://ij.org/case/brazier-construction-co-inc-v-reich/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">the following statement</a> by 34 professors concerning immigration legislation:</p> 
 <p><em>‘We urge the extension of the quota system to all countries of North and South America from which we have substantial immigration and in which the population is not predominantly of the white race. . . . Only by this method can that large proportion of our population which is descended from the colonists . . . have their proper racial representation.’”</em></p> 
</blockquote> 
<div class="vestpocket" vest-pocket=""></div> 
<p>Will goes on to explain how Davis-Bacon served to limit black Americans’ right to earn a living:</p> 
<blockquote> 
 <p>In 1931, the unemployment rate of blacks was approximately the same as the rate for the general population. Davis-Bacon is one reason the rate for blacks began to deviate adversely. In 1932, generally there were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/damfaqs.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">about 3,500</a> workers building what became Hoover Dam. Never more than&nbsp;<a href="http://www.arizona-leisure.com/hoover-dam-men.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">30</a>&nbsp;were black.”</p> 
</blockquote> 
<p>While the need to suspend Davis-Bacon for Hurricane Harvey cleanup efforts is urgent, permanent repeal of federal prevailing wage requirements should be the ultimate goal for President Trump and congressional Republicans.</p> 
<p>By repealing this misguided and inherently racist law, federal lawmakers would free up billions of dollars in taxpayer savings that could be redeployed for other priorities, such as needed infrastructure projects. Over 30 states have state-level prevailing wage requirements similar to Davis-Bacon. Innovative governors and lawmakers in a number of states have begun moving to repeal those laws in order to save taxpayer dollars and free up scarce resources for other projects and programs.</p> 
<p>West Virginia became the most recent state to repeal its prevailing wage law, which state lawmakers did by overriding a veto from then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin last year. In the first two months following prevailing wage repeal, West Virginia taxpayers&nbsp;saved&nbsp;$20 million, <a href="http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/32685465/state-saving-onconstruction" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">according</a> to the Associated Builders and Contractors of West Virginia.</p> 
<p>One year prior to the repeal of West Virginia’s inflated wage requirements, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed into law a repeal of prevailing wage requirements for local projects in the Badger State. Gov. Walker and Wisconsin lawmakers are now looking to finish the job they started two years ago by repealing prevailing wage requirements for state projects this year.</p></div>
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	</app-root><script id="ng-templates-state" type="application/json">{&q;environmentName&q;:&q;prod&q;,&q;is_mobile&q;:false,&q;/forbesapi/content/uri.json?shortcodes=true&a;slides=true&a;type=ng&a;tickers=true&a;bvallpages=true&a;autovpslider=true&a;stream=true&a;compressimages=true&a;mobile=false&a;prgsmobileads=false&a;relativeVideo=true&a;videoplayertype=brightcove_perform_with_keyvalues&a;swimlane=&a;uri=http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2017/08/29/trump-can-boost-hurricane-harvey-cleanup-effort-by-suspending-davis-bacon/&q;:{&q;content&q;:{&q;id&q;:&q;content_59a5ca6d64aaf97b128dcfec&q;,&q;naturalId&q;:&q;blogAndPostId/blog/post/2991-2577&q;,&q;source&q;:&q;blogs&q;,&q;author&q;:&q;Patrick Gleason&q;,&q;title&q;:&q;Trump Can Boost Hurricane Cleanup Effort By Suspending Davis-Bacon&q;,&q;date&q;:1504043700000,&q;body&q;:&q;&l;p&g;[caption id=\&q;attachment_840569006\&q; photocredit=\&q;\&q;  align=\&q;\&q; width=\&q;960\&q;]&l;img class=\&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-840569006\&q; src=\&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/840569006/960x0.jpg?fit=scale\&q; data-height=\&q;640\&q; data-width=\&q;960\&q;&g; US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive n Corpus Christi, Texas on August 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]\r\n\r\nIt will take years to clean up after and repair the destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey, which will come at great cost to individuals, families, companies, and the government. As such, it is imperative for President Trump to suspend Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, which he can do by executive order, in the parts of Texas and Louisiana damaged by what is now being referred to as a once&a;nbsp;in a millennium storm.\r\n\r\nDavis-Bacon is a more than 80 year old federal law that mandates artificially inflated wages be paid on federal contracts, thereby driving up the taxpayer cost of federally-funded projects by billions of dollars annually. A 2011 Heritage Foundation &l;a href=\&q;http://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/repealing-the-davis-bacon-act-would-save-taxpayers-109-billion\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;study&l;/a&g; found Davis-Bacon adds nearly $11 billion per year to construction costs.\r\n\r\nSuspending Davis-Bacon&a;rsquo;s inflated wage requirements would not be an unprecedented move for the White House. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush partially suspended Davis-Bacon for the areas of of Florida, Louisiana, and Hawaii that were affected by Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki. President George W. Bush suspended Davis-Bacon in 2005 to mitigate cleanup and reconstruction costs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.\r\n\r\nIn addition to making taxpayer-funded federal projects more costly, Davis-Bacon is a law whose creation was inspired by racist motives. In a June Washington Post &l;a href=\&q;https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-racist-vestige-of-the-past-that-progressives-are-happy-to-leave-in-place/2017/06/16/6d5cbbba-51f3-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html?utm_term=.57db0a9281c3\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;column&l;/a&g;, George Will lays out a detailed account of the racist origins of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements:\r\n&l;/p&g;&l;blockquote&g;In 1927, Rep. Robert Bacon, a Long Island Republican,&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/leininger/Cheap-labor-concerns-are-nothing-new--but-government-s-response-should-be\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;was miffed&l;/a&g;&a;nbsp;because the low bidder for a construction project in his district &a;mdash; a veterans&a;rsquo; hospital &a;mdash; was an Alabama contractor who used black labor. That year, when Bacon&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;http://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/creating-inner-city-jobs-suspending-the-davis-bacon-act\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;first introduced&l;/a&g;&a;nbsp;his legislation, he showed that he was not a narrow-gauge bigot. He inserted into the Congressional Record&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;http://ij.org/case/brazier-construction-co-inc-v-reich/\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;the following statement&l;/a&g; by 34 professors concerning immigration legislation:\r\n\r\n&l;em&g;&a;lsquo;We urge the extension of the quota system to all countries of North and South America from which we have substantial immigration and in which the population is not predominantly of the white race. .&a;thinsp;.&a;thinsp;. Only by this method can that large proportion of our population which is descended from the colonists .&a;thinsp;.&a;thinsp;. have their proper racial representation.&a;rsquo;&a;rdquo;&l;/em&g;&l;/blockquote&g;\r\nWill goes on to explain how Davis-Bacon served to limit black Americans&a;rsquo; right to earn a living:\r\n&l;blockquote&g;In 1931, the unemployment rate of blacks was approximately the same as the rate for the general population. Davis-Bacon is one reason the rate for blacks began to deviate adversely. In 1932, generally there were&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/damfaqs.html\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;about 3,500&l;/a&g;&a;thinsp;workers building what became Hoover Dam. Never more than&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;http://www.arizona-leisure.com/hoover-dam-men.html\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;30&l;/a&g;&a;nbsp;were black.&a;rdquo;&l;/blockquote&g;\r\nWhile the need to suspend Davis-Bacon for Hurricane Harvey cleanup efforts is urgent, permanent repeal of federal prevailing wage requirements should be the ultimate goal for President Trump and congressional Republicans.\r\n\r\nBy repealing this misguided and inherently racist law, federal lawmakers would free up billions of dollars in taxpayer savings that could be redeployed for other priorities, such as needed infrastructure projects. Over 30 states have state-level prevailing wage requirements similar to Davis-Bacon. Innovative governors and lawmakers in a number of states have begun moving to repeal those laws in order to save taxpayer dollars and free up scarce resources for other projects and programs.\r\n\r\nWest Virginia became the most recent state to repeal its prevailing wage law, which state lawmakers did by overriding a veto from then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin last year. In the first two months following prevailing wage repeal, West Virginia taxpayers&a;nbsp;saved&a;nbsp;$20 million, &l;a href=\&q;http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/32685465/state-saving-onconstruction\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;according&l;/a&g; to the Associated Builders and Contractors of West Virginia.\r\n\r\nOne year prior to the repeal of West Virginia&a;rsquo;s inflated wage requirements, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed into law a repeal of prevailing wage requirements for local projects in the Badger State. Gov. Walker and Wisconsin lawmakers are now looking to finish the job they started two years ago by repealing prevailing wage requirements for state projects this year.\r\n&l;!--nextpage--&g;\r\nWisconsin Senator Leah Vukmir (R), who is expected to run for U.S. Senate next year against Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic incumbent, explains how repeal of prevailing wage laws save&a;nbsp;taxpayers and free up scarce resources for pressing&a;nbsp;needs and government priorities:\r\n&l;blockquote&g;The potential savings that would be achieved by repealing Wisconsin&a;rsquo;s prevailing wage laws are staggering. When you consider the possible savings from eliminating prevailing wage, it is important to remember that those savings could be redeployed in a multitude of ways, ranging from additional projects to tax relief,&a;rdquo; Vukmir &l;a href=\&q;http://legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/05/vukmir/news/5-7-15-vukmir-hutton-repeal-prevailing-wage-law-wisconsin/\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;said&l;/a&g;.&l;/blockquote&g;\r\n[caption id=\&q;attachment_2581\&q; photocredit=\&q;WiscPolitics.com \&q;  align=\&q;\&q; width=\&q;640\&q;]&l;img class=\&q;size-full wp-image-2581\&q; src=\&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/patrickgleason/files/2017/08/19054459254_93ec4c61dc_z.jpg?width=960\&q; alt=\&q;\&q; data-height=\&q;480\&q; data-width=\&q;640\&q;&g; Wisconsin Senator Leah Vukmir[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe Congressional Budget Office &l;a href=\&q;https://www.cbo.gov/budget-options/2016/52225\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q;&g;estimated&l;/a&g; in December 2016 that repealing Davis-Bacon would save taxpayers $13 billion on federal construction projects by 2026. If Vukmir is the Republican nominee to go up against Senator Tammy Baldwin in 2018, it will make for a stark contrast when it comes to the issue of prevailing wage. Vukmir, one of the top taxpayer champions in the Wisconsin legislature, has been a vocal proponent of repealing state and local prevailing wage requirements. Baldwin, meanwhile, has been a defender&a;nbsp;of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, despite the law&s;s racist origins and the fact that it needlessly increases the cost of taxpayer-funded federal projects.\r\n\r\nWill, in the aforementioned Washington Post column, accurately describes Davis-Bacon as &a;ldquo;rent-seeking&a;rdquo; and &a;ldquo;the use of political power to supplant the market as the allocator of opportunity and wealth.&a;rdquo; To provide for better and more appropriate stewardship of taxpayer dollars, prevailing wage requirements should be permanently repealed at both the federal and state levels. In the meantime, President Trump can boost the Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts by issuing an executive order to suspend Davis-Bacon.&q;,&q;description&q;:&q;Hurricane Harvey cleanup and reconstruction costs will be exorbitant. President Trump can mitigate costs by suspending federal law that artificially inflates wages for federal projects.&q;,&q;image&q;:&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/840569006/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;blog&q;,&q;storyType&q;:&q;post&q;,&q;uri&q;:&q;http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2017/08/29/trump-can-boost-hurricane-harvey-cleanup-effort-by-suspending-davis-bacon/&q;,&q;comments&q;:[],&q;visible&q;:true,&q;authors&q;:[{&q;naturalId&q;:&q;blogAuthorId/blog/author/1104932&q;,&q;name&q;:&q;Patrick Gleason&q;,&q;avatars&q;:[{&q;size&q;:400,&q;image&q;:&q;https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/99862bf745ec6099e7fcf522df6267cc?s=400&a;#038;d=mm&a;#038;r=g&q;},{&q;size&q;:136,&q;image&q;:&q;https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/99862bf745ec6099e7fcf522df6267cc?s=136&a;#038;d=mm&a;#038;r=g&q;},{&q;size&q;:62,&q;image&q;:&q;https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/99862bf745ec6099e7fcf522df6267cc?s=62&a;#038;d=mm&a;#038;r=g&q;},{&q;size&q;:40,&q;image&q;:&q;https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/99862bf745ec6099e7fcf522df6267cc?s=40&a;#038;d=mm&a;#038;r=g&q;}],&q;url&q;:&q;http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;Contributor&q;,&q;profileUrl&q;:&q;/sites/patrickgleason/&q;,&q;twitterName&q;:&q;patrickmgleason&q;,&q;authorType&q;:&q;individual&q;,&q;email&q;:&q;pgleason@atr.org&q;,&q;blog&q;:false,&q;timestamp&q;:1470202067986,&q;shortBio&q;:&q;I cover the intersection of state &a; federal policy and politics.&q;,&q;blogName&q;:&q;State Of The States&q;,&q;topics&q;:[&q;state--urban&q;,&q;oped&q;,&q;economics&q;,&q;powering-productivity&q;,&q;policy&q;,&q;law&q;],&q;description&q;:&q;I am director of state affairs at Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington-based advocacy and policy research organization founded by Grover Norquist in 1985 at the request of President Ronald Reagan. My writing and commentary have been published in The Economist, Reuters, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. I cover the intersection of state &a;amp; federal policy and politics.&q;,&q;recentActivityCount&q;:0,&q;latestActivityDate&q;:1447203300000,&q;dailyActivityCount&q;:0,&q;primaryBlogNaturalId&q;:&q;blogAuthorId/blog/author/blog-2991&q;,&q;shortUri&q;:&q;http://onforb.es/1eJHa5N&q;,&q;displayChannel&q;:&q;opinions&q;,&q;displaySection&q;:&q;patrickgleasonblog&q;,&q;contributorSince&q;:1390122267000,&q;slug&q;:&q;patrickgleason&q;,&q;showNoVestPocket&q;:false,&q;embargo&q;:false,&q;primaryChannelId&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;enableContribContact&q;:true,&q;sigfile&q;:&q;&l;em&g;Patrick Gleason is director of state affairs at Americans for Tax Reform, and a senior fellow at the Beacon Center of Tennessee. Follow Patrick on Twitter: @&l;a href=\&q;https://twitter.com/patrickmgleason\&q;&g;PatrickMGleason&l;/a&g;&l;/em&g;&q;,&q;enableTwitterFeed&q;:false,&q;disableCanonical&q;:false,&q;disableDigest&q;:false,&q;forbesTwitterProfile&q;:{&q;screenName&q;:&q;patrickmgleason&q;,&q;name&q;:&q;patrickmgleason&q;,&q;profileImageUrl&q;:&q;http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/535792307920838657/vJ7X2HSt.jpeg&q;,&q;description&q;:&q;Forbes contributor: http://t.co/NAPbO1m4er. Director of State Affairs at Americans for Tax Reform. @BeaconTN Senior Fellow.&q;,&q;createdDate&q;:1216410859000,&q;location&q;:&q;Washington, D.C.&q;,&q;url&q;:null,&q;expandedUrl&q;:null,&q;displayUrl&q;:null,&q;verified&q;:false},&q;inactive&q;:true,&q;primaryChannel&q;:{&q;id&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;channelId&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;channelName&q;:&q;Opinion&q;,&q;url&q;:&q;/opinion&q;,&q;shortName&q;:&q;Opinion&q;},&q;allowEmail&q;:false,&q;avatar_map&q;:{}},{&q;naturalId&q;:&q;blogAuthorId/blog/author/blog-2991&q;,&q;name&q;:&q;State Of The States&q;,&q;avatars&q;:[{&q;size&q;:0,&q;image&q;:&q;&q;},{&q;size&q;:0,&q;image&q;:&q;&q;},{&q;size&q;:0,&q;image&q;:&q;&q;},{&q;size&q;:0,&q;image&q;:&q;&q;}],&q;url&q;:&q;http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/&q;,&q;profileUrl&q;:&q;http://blogs.forbes.com/patrickgleason/profile/&q;,&q;authorType&q;:&q;individual&q;,&q;blog&q;:true,&q;timestamp&q;:1473605083635,&q;topics&q;:[&q;state--urban&q;,&q;oped&q;,&q;powering-productivity&q;,&q;policy&q;,&q;law&q;],&q;recentActivityCount&q;:1,&q;latestActivityDate&q;:1447203300000,&q;dailyActivityCount&q;:0,&q;primaryBlogNaturalId&q;:&q;blogAuthorId/blog/author/blog-2991&q;,&q;primaryContributor&q;:&q;blogAuthorId/blog/author/1104932&q;,&q;primaryContributorData&q;:{&q;naturalId&q;:&q;blogAuthorId/blog/author/1104932&q;,&q;name&q;:&q;Patrick Gleason&q;,&q;avatars&q;:[{&q;size&q;:136,&q;image&q;:&q;http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/99862bf745ec6099e7fcf522df6267cc?s=136&a;#038;d=mm&a;#038;r=g&q;},{&q;size&q;:40,&q;image&q;:&q;http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/99862bf745ec6099e7fcf522df6267cc?s=40&a;#038;d=mm&a;#038;r=g&q;},{&q;size&q;:400,&q;image&q;:&q;http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/99862bf745ec6099e7fcf522df6267cc?s=400&a;#038;d=mm&a;#038;r=g&q;},{&q;size&q;:62,&q;image&q;:&q;http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/99862bf745ec6099e7fcf522df6267cc?s=62&a;#038;d=mm&a;#038;r=g&q;}],&q;blog&q;:false,&q;shortBio&q;:&q;I cover the intersection of state &a; federal policy and politics.&q;,&q;description&q;:&q;I am director of state affairs at Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington-based advocacy and policy research organization founded by Grover Norquist in 1985 at the request of President Ronald Reagan. My writing and commentary have been published in The Economist, Reuters, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. I cover the intersection of state &a;amp; federal policy and politics.&q;,&q;allowEmail&q;:false},&q;shortUri&q;:&q;http://onforb.es/1eJHa5N&q;,&q;displayChannel&q;:&q;opinions&q;,&q;displaySection&q;:&q;patrickgleasonblog&q;,&q;contributorSince&q;:1390104420000,&q;slug&q;:&q;patrickgleason&q;,&q;showNoVestPocket&q;:false,&q;embargo&q;:false,&q;primaryChannelId&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;enableContribContact&q;:false,&q;enableTwitterFeed&q;:false,&q;disableCanonical&q;:false,&q;disableDigest&q;:false,&q;inactive&q;:false,&q;primaryChannel&q;:{&q;id&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;channelId&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;channelName&q;:&q;Opinion&q;,&q;url&q;:&q;/opinion&q;,&q;shortName&q;:&q;Opinion&q;},&q;allowEmail&q;:false,&q;avatar_map&q;:{}}],&q;channelSection&q;:[{&q;channelId&q;:&q;channel_5&q;},{&q;channelId&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;sectionId&q;:&q;section_179&q;}],&q;slug&q;:&q;State Of The States&q;,&q;blogType&q;:&q;individual&q;,&q;sitePage&q;:&q;forbes.com/opinions/blogs/patrickgleason/index.html&q;,&q;displayChannel&q;:&q;opinions&q;,&q;displaySection&q;:&q;patrickgleasonblog&q;,&q;vestPocketList&q;:[{&q;type&q;:&q;slide&q;,&q;uri&q;:&q;https://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlj45jggj/1-detroit/&q;,&q;image&q;:&q;http://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/026M72T8ElbzS/&q;,&q;title&q;:&q;The 10 Most Dangerous U.S. Cities&q;,&q;naturalId&q;:&q;blogAndSlideId/blog/slide/986-6336&q;,&q;count&q;:32370,&q;reason&q;:&q;MP-G&q;},{&q;type&q;:&q;blog&q;,&q;uri&q;:&q;https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/02/17/box-office-black-panther-superhero-fatigues-to-record-crushing-76m-friday/&q;,&q;image&q;:&q;https://blogs-images.forbes.com/scottmendelson/files/2018/02/MV5BNDg3MTY3ODMzMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODgwMDk1NDM@._V1_SX1777_CR001777937_AL_-1-1200x633.jpg&q;,&q;title&q;:&q;Box Office: &s;Black Panther&s; Superhero Fatigues To Record $76M Friday&q;,&q;naturalId&q;:&q;blogAndPostId/blog/post/2595-47832&q;,&q;count&q;:307993,&q;reason&q;:&q;PV-D&q;}],&q;generatedId&q;:&q;fmme45fikk&q;,&q;manualDescription&q;:&q;Hurricane Harvey cleanup and reconstruction costs will be exorbitant. President Trump can mitigate costs by suspending federal law that artificially inflates wages for federal projects.&q;,&q;primaryChannelId&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;vestPocketPosition&q;:6,&q;siteSlug&q;:&q;patrickgleason&q;,&q;preview&q;:false,&q;showComments&q;:true,&q;timestamp&q;:1505080402080,&q;commentCount&q;:1,&q;calledOutCommentCount&q;:0,&q;statsEntities&q;:[{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Social Issues&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Politics&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Davis–Bacon Act&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Prevailing wage&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Business&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;American people of German descent&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Wage&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Donald Trump&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;United States&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:null},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Digital Media Agencies&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Personal Services - NEC&q;,&q;type&q;:null,&q;relevance&q;:0},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;George Will&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;Person&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Texas&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;ProvinceOrState&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;George W. 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Bush&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;Person&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Davis-Bacon&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;Person&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Florida&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;ProvinceOrState&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;West Virginia&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;Region&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Washington Post&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;Company&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;hospital &a;mdash&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;Facility&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Christi&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;City&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2},{&q;id&q;:null,&q;name&q;:&q;Texas and Louisiana&q;,&q;type&q;:&q;ProvinceOrState&q;,&q;relevance&q;:0.2}],&q;showNoVestPocket&q;:false,&q;writtenByForbesStaff&q;:false,&q;templateType&q;:&q;standard&q;,&q;enableSigfile&q;:true,&q;primaryChannel&q;:{&q;id&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;channelId&q;:&q;channel_5&q;,&q;channelName&q;:&q;Opinion&q;,&q;url&q;:&q;/opinion&q;,&q;shortName&q;:&q;Opinion&q;},&q;pages&q;:[&q;&l;div id=\&q;attachment_840569006\&q; class=\&q;wp-caption alignnone\&q;&g; \n &l;div class=\&q;article-body-image\&q;&g; \n  &l;img class=\&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-840569006\&q; src=\&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/840569006/960x0.jpg?fit=scale\&q; data-height=\&q;640\&q; data-width=\&q;960\&q; /&g; \n &l;/div&g; \n &l;div article-image-caption=\&q;\&q;&g; \n  &l;div class=\&q;caption-container\&q; ng-class=\&q;caption_state\&q;&g; \n   &l;fbs-accordion current=\&q;0\&q;&g; \n    &l;p class=\&q;wp-caption-text\&q;&g;US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive n Corpus Christi, Texas on August 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)&l;/p&g; \n   &l;/fbs-accordion&g; \n  &l;/div&g; \n &l;/div&g; \n&l;/div&g; \n&l;p&g;It will take years to clean up after and repair the destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey, which will come at great cost to individuals, families, companies, and the government. As such, it is imperative for President Trump to suspend Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, which he can do by executive order, in the parts of Texas and Louisiana damaged by what is now being referred to as a once&a;nbsp;in a millennium storm.&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g;Davis-Bacon is a more than 80 year old federal law that mandates artificially inflated wages be paid on federal contracts, thereby driving up the taxpayer cost of federally-funded projects by billions of dollars annually. A 2011 Heritage Foundation &l;a href=\&q;http://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/repealing-the-davis-bacon-act-would-save-taxpayers-109-billion\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;study&l;/a&g; found Davis-Bacon adds nearly $11 billion per year to construction costs.&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g;Suspending Davis-Bacon’s inflated wage requirements would not be an unprecedented move for the White House. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush partially suspended Davis-Bacon for the areas of of Florida, Louisiana, and Hawaii that were affected by Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki. President George W. Bush suspended Davis-Bacon in 2005 to mitigate cleanup and reconstruction costs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g; \n &l;fbs-ad position=\&q;inread\&q; progressive=\&q;\&q;&g;&l;/fbs-ad&g;&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g;In addition to making taxpayer-funded federal projects more costly, Davis-Bacon is a law whose creation was inspired by racist motives. In a June Washington Post &l;a href=\&q;https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-racist-vestige-of-the-past-that-progressives-are-happy-to-leave-in-place/2017/06/16/6d5cbbba-51f3-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html?utm_term=.57db0a9281c3\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;column&l;/a&g;, George Will lays out a detailed account of the racist origins of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements:&l;/p&g; \n&l;blockquote&g; \n &l;p&g;In 1927, Rep. Robert Bacon, a Long Island Republican,&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/leininger/Cheap-labor-concerns-are-nothing-new--but-government-s-response-should-be\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;was miffed&l;/a&g;&a;nbsp;because the low bidder for a construction project in his district — a veterans’ hospital — was an Alabama contractor who used black labor. That year, when Bacon&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;http://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/creating-inner-city-jobs-suspending-the-davis-bacon-act\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;first introduced&l;/a&g;&a;nbsp;his legislation, he showed that he was not a narrow-gauge bigot. He inserted into the Congressional Record&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;http://ij.org/case/brazier-construction-co-inc-v-reich/\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;the following statement&l;/a&g; by 34 professors concerning immigration legislation:&l;/p&g; \n &l;p&g;&l;em&g;‘We urge the extension of the quota system to all countries of North and South America from which we have substantial immigration and in which the population is not predominantly of the white race. . . . Only by this method can that large proportion of our population which is descended from the colonists . . . have their proper racial representation.’”&l;/em&g;&l;/p&g; \n&l;/blockquote&g; \n&l;div class=\&q;vestpocket\&q; vest-pocket=\&q;\&q;&g;&l;/div&g; \n&l;p&g;Will goes on to explain how Davis-Bacon served to limit black Americans’ right to earn a living:&l;/p&g; \n&l;blockquote&g; \n &l;p&g;In 1931, the unemployment rate of blacks was approximately the same as the rate for the general population. Davis-Bacon is one reason the rate for blacks began to deviate adversely. In 1932, generally there were&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/damfaqs.html\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;about 3,500&l;/a&g; workers building what became Hoover Dam. Never more than&a;nbsp;&l;a href=\&q;http://www.arizona-leisure.com/hoover-dam-men.html\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;30&l;/a&g;&a;nbsp;were black.”&l;/p&g; \n&l;/blockquote&g; \n&l;p&g;While the need to suspend Davis-Bacon for Hurricane Harvey cleanup efforts is urgent, permanent repeal of federal prevailing wage requirements should be the ultimate goal for President Trump and congressional Republicans.&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g;By repealing this misguided and inherently racist law, federal lawmakers would free up billions of dollars in taxpayer savings that could be redeployed for other priorities, such as needed infrastructure projects. Over 30 states have state-level prevailing wage requirements similar to Davis-Bacon. Innovative governors and lawmakers in a number of states have begun moving to repeal those laws in order to save taxpayer dollars and free up scarce resources for other projects and programs.&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g;West Virginia became the most recent state to repeal its prevailing wage law, which state lawmakers did by overriding a veto from then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin last year. In the first two months following prevailing wage repeal, West Virginia taxpayers&a;nbsp;saved&a;nbsp;$20 million, &l;a href=\&q;http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/32685465/state-saving-onconstruction\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;according&l;/a&g; to the Associated Builders and Contractors of West Virginia.&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g;One year prior to the repeal of West Virginia’s inflated wage requirements, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed into law a repeal of prevailing wage requirements for local projects in the Badger State. Gov. Walker and Wisconsin lawmakers are now looking to finish the job they started two years ago by repealing prevailing wage requirements for state projects this year.&l;/p&g;&q;,&q;&l;p&g;Wisconsin Senator Leah Vukmir (R), who is expected to run for U.S. Senate next year against Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic incumbent, explains how repeal of prevailing wage laws save&a;nbsp;taxpayers and free up scarce resources for pressing&a;nbsp;needs and government priorities:&l;/p&g; \n&l;blockquote&g; \n &l;p&g;The potential savings that would be achieved by repealing Wisconsin’s prevailing wage laws are staggering. When you consider the possible savings from eliminating prevailing wage, it is important to remember that those savings could be redeployed in a multitude of ways, ranging from additional projects to tax relief,” Vukmir &l;a href=\&q;http://legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/05/vukmir/news/5-7-15-vukmir-hutton-repeal-prevailing-wage-law-wisconsin/\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;said&l;/a&g;.&l;/p&g; \n&l;/blockquote&g; \n&l;div id=\&q;attachment_2581\&q; class=\&q;wp-caption alignnone\&q;&g; \n &l;div class=\&q;article-body-image\&q;&g; \n  &l;img class=\&q;size-full wp-image-2581\&q; src=\&q;//blogs-images.forbes.com/patrickgleason/files/2017/08/19054459254_93ec4c61dc_z.jpg?width=960\&q; alt=\&q;\&q; data-height=\&q;480\&q; data-width=\&q;640\&q; /&g; \n  &l;small class=\&q;article-photo-credit\&q;&g;WiscPolitics.com &l;/small&g; \n &l;/div&g; \n &l;div article-image-caption=\&q;\&q;&g; \n  &l;div class=\&q;caption-container\&q; ng-class=\&q;caption_state\&q;&g; \n   &l;fbs-accordion current=\&q;0\&q;&g; \n    &l;p class=\&q;wp-caption-text\&q;&g;Wisconsin Senator Leah Vukmir&l;/p&g; \n   &l;/fbs-accordion&g; \n  &l;/div&g; \n &l;/div&g; \n&l;/div&g; \n&l;p&g;The Congressional Budget Office &l;a href=\&q;https://www.cbo.gov/budget-options/2016/52225\&q; target=\&q;_blank\&q; rel=\&q;nofollow\&q;&g;estimated&l;/a&g; in December 2016 that repealing Davis-Bacon would save taxpayers $13 billion on federal construction projects by 2026. If Vukmir is the Republican nominee to go up against Senator Tammy Baldwin in 2018, it will make for a stark contrast when it comes to the issue of prevailing wage. Vukmir, one of the top taxpayer champions in the Wisconsin legislature, has been a vocal proponent of repealing state and local prevailing wage requirements. Baldwin, meanwhile, has been a defender&a;nbsp;of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, despite the law&s;s racist origins and the fact that it needlessly increases the cost of taxpayer-funded federal projects.&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g; \n &l;fbs-ad position=\&q;inread\&q; progressive=\&q;\&q;&g;&l;/fbs-ad&g;&l;/p&g; \n&l;p&g;Will, in the aforementioned Washington Post column, accurately describes Davis-Bacon as “rent-seeking” and “the use of political power to supplant the market as the allocator of opportunity and wealth.” To provide for better and more appropriate stewardship of taxpayer dollars, prevailing wage requirements should be permanently repealed at both the federal and state levels. 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