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The Leader’s Floor Lookout: Week of January 8, 2024

Washington, January 7, 2024
Here’s what to watch for on the House Floor this week:

Supporting American Industry Over Foreign Adversaries

“Buy America” provisions in current law require federal infrastructure projects – such as construction of chargers for electric vehicles – to obtain 55 percent of construction materials from domestic sources and be completely manufactured in the United States, supporting American industry and independence instead of foreign countries. 

In February 2023, however, President Biden’s Federal Highway Administration issued a waiver to suspend these requirements until October 2024, meaning U.S. taxpayer dollars will be buying Chinese products and empowering China’s control over American energy and infrastructure. 

This waiver hurts American companies and increases our dependency on China. And yet, the Biden Administration continues to put Chinese interests before the interests of hardworking Americans.

It’s simple: American taxpayer dollars should support American businesses and infrastructure, not China. We cannot afford to be reliant on foreign adversaries for our energy or infrastructure.

S.J. Res. 38, introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, overturns the Federal Highway Administration’s rule relating to ‘Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers’ under the Congressional Review Act, removing China from our supply chain for electric vehicle charger construction.

House Republicans will always put Americans first and fight against sending more of your hard earned taxpayer dollars to foreign adversaries. 


Stopping Settlement Slush Funds to Third Party Activists

Under the Biden Administration, settlement agreements between the federal government and individuals or corporations who break the law can include community service or donating to third party organizations as an alternative to serving time or paying fines to the government. This allows the executive branch to funnel funds to partisan non-profit organizations, instead of only sending money to directly injured parties or to the Treasury for public benefit.

While the Trump Administration banned this corrupt practice in 2017 after it was abused under the Obama Administration, Attorney General Merrick Garland reversed the ban in 2022 – once again allowing government officials to line the pockets of political allies who would further their partisan agenda instead of giving the money back to American taxpayers.
 

Money owed as part of a settlement with the federal government should go to the parties directly impacted or to the Treasury – not to third party activist groups as a way to further a political agenda. 

House Republicans are bringing legislation to the floor that would codify President Trump’s previous ban on these settlements involving payouts to third parties, preventing public servants from funneling money into slush funds for politically-aligned activist groups.

Rep. Lance Gooden’s legislation, H.R. 788, the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2023, bars government agencies from entering or enforcing settlement agreements that instruct the offending party to donate to a third party, ensuring the owed funds go only to affected parties or the Treasury.

While the Biden Administration continues to put politics first, House Republicans are standing up for the American taxpayer against corrupt government slush funds.

 
Protecting Small Business and Workers from NLRB Joint-Employer Rule

In October 2023, Biden’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced a joint-employer final rule that makes companies jointly liable with their franchisees for workplace policies including union contracts, scheduling, pay, and other practices despite not overseeing the other business’ employees, threatening the American franchise model that supports millions of workers and promotes small business growth.

The Biden Administration and NLRB’s destructive rule not only takes away the freedom and opportunity for hardworking Americans to run their own businesses, but also muddies the waters on their legal liabilities, resulting in higher operational and consumer costs and fewer jobs. 

Once again, the Biden Administration is prioritizing special interests over small businesses and American workers.

We should be fighting to empower small businesses and grow job opportunities to allow Amercians to succeed – not imposing more red tape, undermining entrepreneurship, and placing the American Dream out of reach.


H.J. Res. 98, introduced by Rep. John James, repeals the National Labor Relations Board’s burdensome rule relating to "Standard for Determining Joint Employer Status" under the Congressional Review Act, protecting the franchise system, small business, American workers, and entrepreneurship.

House Republicans won’t stop protecting hardworking Americans and small businesses that keep American entrepreneurship alive from radical job-killing regulations imposed by the Biden Administration.