The Contractor Tax Enforcement Act, introduced by Rep. Edolphus Towns, would prohibit delinquent federal tax debtors from being eligible to contract with federal agencies. Contractors owe the federal government billions of dollars in delinquent taxes, and the Contractor Tax Enforcement Act is designed to mandate that tax compliance be a prerequisite for receiving a federal contract. In 2005, GAO reported that roughly 33,000 civilian agency contractors owed over $3 billion in unpaid federal taxes as of September 30, 2004.