The Office of Management and Budget recently announced that the Trump administration will continue to enforce Executive Order 14063, originally issued by President Biden. This mandate requires project labor agreements (PLAs) on all federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more.
This decision is a blow to fair and open competition in federal contracting. ABC has long opposed this policy, which effectively sidelines the 90% of the U.S. construction workforce that chooses not to affiliate with a union. These mandates favor union-only shops and unfairly exclude the vast majority of qualified contractors who operate under a merit shop philosophy.
Our team at Contractors Prevailing Wage is calling on President Trump to reverse course immediately. We’re urging the administration to uphold the principles of free enterprise by repealing EO 14063 and issuing a new executive order that restores a level playing field—one where all qualified contractors, regardless of labor affiliation, have a fair chance to compete for federal work.
While there were earlier efforts from agencies like the Department of Defense and General Services Administration to pause PLA requirements, those reforms were halted following legal challenges from North America’s Building Trades Unions. A federal court ultimately blocked the policy change. Now, with the Trump administration opting to keep Biden’s executive order in place, taxpayers will continue to bear the burden of increased costs and delays on vital infrastructure and national security projects.
This is a pivotal moment for our industry. CPW urges all contractors, industry stakeholders, and allies of free enterprise to speak up!
Take Action Now: Contact President Trump and demand the immediate repeal of Executive Order 14063. Let’s return to a system that values merit over mandates and restores fairness to federal construction contracting.
There is power in numbers, so we’re standing with Associated Builders and Contractors to ensure our collective voice reaches lawmakers loud and clear. Use the link below to take action.