|
WASHINGTON - Senator Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., Wednesday joined House and Senate colleagues and representatives from environmental, labor, women's and civil rights groups to express dismay over President Bush's suspension of a regulation that prevents the federal government from contracting with businesses that persistently violate federal laws protecting public health and safety, the environment, consumers, civil and labor rights.
"Like so many other rules that have come under assault from the new administration, the contractor rule is a common-sense regulation that protects workers, consumers, families and communities," Lieberman said. "This is not some wild-eyed federal mandate. It's about basic fairness. And the basic fairness and principle here is that taxpayer dollars should not be supporting companies that have violated our laws.
"In a progressive society," he continued, "it is government's duty to safeguard the citizenry from threats that they cannot defend themselves against. The people get this. This is not a Republican or Democratic regulation. It's not liberal or conservative."
Federal contractors were already required to show a satisfactory record of "integrity and business ethics." The Contractor Responsibility rule clarified that such integrity includes compliance with specific laws. The regulation became final in December 2000, after lengthy consideration and revision, responding to extensive public comment. The Bush administration made its first assault on the rule in late January, when it invited agencies to suspend the new contractor responsibility requirements for 180 days. The rule was formally suspended Tuesday for nine months, with revocation proposed at the end of that period.
As ranking Democrat of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, Lieberman has launched an investigation into the assault on health, safety and environmental protections, as well as the closed-door nature of the decision-making process that has led to rescinding rules formulated over many months and with substantial public participation.
"Rather than a compassionate conservative, President George Bush looks more like a contentious conservative," Lieberman said, "willing to turn back the clock on a whole generation of laws that have been intended to protect the public from environmental pollution, worker dangers, civil rights violations, consumer fraud and just plain dishonest contracting... The public should be aware that his administration is saying it is ready to funnel the hard-earned money of taxpayers into the pockets of contractors that have consistently violated the law.
"So I would say to the President: We're going to keep speaking out and using whatever rights the law gives us until you put the brakes on this wholesale dismantling of laws and regulations that the public knows are there to protect them."
Read Senator Lieberman's Statement
|
