Trump signs into law bill that rewards employers who abuse workers

Today Donald Trump signed into law a bill passed by Republicans in Congress that rewards employers who abuse workers by stealing their money or by making the workplace unsafe.

You see, President Barack Obama set up a rule during his administration barring companies who steal money from workers, or who do not provide a safe working environment, from getting federal government contracts. But Republicans in Congress voted to repeal that regulation using the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which is a law that allows Congress to overturn executive branch decisions.

The problem is, once a regulation is overturned using the CRA, the executive branch can NEVER use it again. Only Congress can re-instate it.

According to New York Magazine:

Specifically, Republicans voted to repeal the Obama administration’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order. That rule discouraged the General Services Administration from awarding federal contracts to companies with a history of stealing their employees’ wages, violating workplace safety standards, and/or illegally discriminating in hiring or pay. The order also required contractors to provide their employees with “the necessary information each pay period to make sure they are getting paid what they are owed.”

Now, companies will once again be free to underpay their workers, or evade safety regulations without fear of losing access to Uncle Sam’s deep pockets.

Republicans struck down the rule by deploying the Congressional Review Act (CRA) — a law that gives Congress the power to fast-track the reversal of regulations. Before Trump took office, the CRA had only been used to strike down one federal regulation in its 21-year history. Congress has, historically, been reluctant to use the CRA because regulations overturned through the law can never be reinstated by the executive branch, barring the approval of Congress.

That means not only Trump screwed over workers, allowing their employers to be rewarded with contracts if they steal money from the workers, but Republicans in Congress made it impossible to use that rule again by future presidents.

Is that making America great again?