Shortly after the U.S. Department of Labor and Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council extended the public comment period for pending proposals implementing Executive Order 13673, a group of Senate Republicans requested the U.S. Department of Labor withdraw its proposed guidance.

This is the second request made by Congressional leadership for withdrawal of the published guidance.  In late July, a group of Senate Committee and Sub-committee chairs made a similar request to the U.S. DOL and the FAR Council for withdrawal of its proposed rule.

Citing concerns with the U.S. DOL’s “incomplete” guidance, Senators Ron Johnson, Lamar Alexander, James Lankford and Johnny Isakson asked the Agency to “immediately withdraw its proposal.”  Specifically, the Senators noted concerns with significant unresolved issues “including which state laws will be covered and whether prime contractors will be required to facility subcontractor reporting.”  These omission, the Senators contend, make it impossible for federal contractors to provide useful feedback and prevent the FAR Council from adequately assessing the costs of its proposed rule.