01.22.25

Ranking Member Scott Statement on President Trump Rescinding EO 11246

“I plan to lead the charge in Congress to ensure that our progress towards equity over the last few decades is not lost because of President Trump’s ill-advised and haphazard actions.”

WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after President Trump rescinded Executive Order  (EO) 11246 of September 24, 1965 (Equal Employment Opportunity). 

“The Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP) ensures that taxpayer dollars do not fund companies that discriminate against workers and helps provide redress to those who do experience unlawful discrimination.  In fact, over the past 10 years, OFCCP has obtained over $260 million for over 250,900 employees and job seekers who were discriminated against by federal contractors.

“By rescinding EO 11246, President Trump has weakened critical civil rights enforcement protections, which have served to protect, until now, about 20 percent of the American workforce from discrimination in taxpayer funded contracts. 

“President Trump's claims that we are ‘returning’ to a ‘merit-based’ society, but he has a fundamental misunderstanding of the work of the OFCCP.  The OFCCP enforces civil rights law already to ensure that workers are hired because of their merit, and to ensure that an individual’s merit is not overlooked because of an employer’s discriminatory practices. 

“I want to be clear that despite the President’s actions, federal contractors are still responsible for complying with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  I plan to lead the charge in Congress to ensure that our progress towards equity over the last few decades is not lost because of President Trump’s ill-advised and haphazard actions.” 

Background: The OFCCP within the Department of Labor is charged with enforcing Executive Order 11246. EO 11246 protects federal contract workers and job applicants from unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. While the federal workforce performs a wide range of duties, federal agencies also enter into contracts with outside companies and organizations. These contracts are used to provide products and services ranging from aircraft and software to health care and engineering support. In Fiscal Year 2023, the federal government spent about $759 billion on contracts.

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