Congressman John D. Dingell

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Congressman John Dingell (D-MI) today re-introduced the United States Workers Protection Act of 2005, a bill that would prevent US taxpayer dollars from being used to outsource jobs to other countries. Specifically, the legislation focuses on prohibiting the government from outsourcing federal work, from buying of goods and services by federal agencies and state governments that use federal funds.

“It is clear that the United States continues to lose jobs and industry through offshore outsourcing. Since 2001, the U.S. has lost 2.8 million manufacturing jobs, -- 55,000 in my own state of Connecticut. At the same time, last year, state governments across the country spent $3.8 billion of taxpayer funds on offshore outsourced work - an amount expected to double this year,” said DeLauro. “Taxpayer money should be used to create jobs right here at home, not to send them overseas. “The United States Workers Protection Act, is based on a simple premise - taxpayer funds should go to buying goods and services produced by American workers.”

Congressman Dingell added: “This bill is all the more necessary in light of the sweetheart deals given by the Bush administration to corporations and fat-cat donors at taxpayer expense. We shouldn’t give Americans hard earned tax dollars to employ workers outside of the United States. During the last five years, the Bush administration has tried to run government by the lowest possible bidder. It’s time to put that to an end.”

Federal agencies generally privatize government services by setting up a competition between federal government employees and prospective private contractors. The work is then awarded to whoever can perform the work most efficiently and effectively. This bill makes permanent a one-year restriction on privatizing federal jobs to contractors using offshore workers. It prohibits private companies who propose to utilize offshore labor from competing in the bidding process.

The bill also prohibits federal agencies from awarding procurement contracts to companies that would use overseas workers either on their own payroll or through foreign subcontractors for purposes of fulfilling such contracts. It provides for a presidential waiver for such prohibition on national security grounds.

In addition, the bill bars state governments from receiving federal funds unless such states certify that none of such funds will be expended for services performed outside the United States under federally-funded contracts. Under this legislation, each state has until the end of the following fiscal year to bring its practices into compliance.