Congress moves to slash prevailing wages on federal construction projects
H.R. 4148 — To provide that the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation" shall have no force or effect. · Filed by Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) · 15 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 25, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill nullifies a Department of Labor rule that updated wage requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act, which mandates prevailing wages on federal construction projects. The rule, finalized in August 2023, would have increased the wages contractors must pay workers on federally funded construction. Blocking it means contractors can pay lower wages on these projects.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to void a rule that raised prevailing wages on federal construction projects. Its functional effect is deregulation of labor costs on federally funded work, benefiting contractors at worker expense.
What the text implies
- Federal construction projects will become cheaper to bid and execute, potentially accelerating project timelines but at the cost of worker compensation.
- The wage reduction may disproportionately affect workers in lower-wage regions where prevailing-wage floors provide the largest protection.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
construction contractors; construction project owners; federal and state agencies managing construction budgets