The National Association of Manufacturers on Thursday released a study that outlines the destructive legacy the Obama Administration’s relentless labor regulatory agenda will leave for manufacturers, their employees, and their communities.
Regulations on issues such as contractor blacklisting, employee overtime, silica, union elections, and injury and illness reporting will cost more than $81 billion in compliance costs over the next 10 years. “These regulations are making it harder for manufacturers to continue to create jobs and economic opportunity,” NAM Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Relations Aric Newhouse said.
The NAM said reasonable regulations are needed to help create safe workplaces with opportunities for all but an increasing stream of burdens is not a balanced approach needed to succeed. Manufacturers want to hire new workers or invest in life-improving products but the billions being spent complying with burdensome regulations makes those goals difficult to achieve.
According to the study, recent Obama Administration labor regulations over the next 10 years will cost $81.6 billion to comply, 155,700 jobs that could have been created, and 411 million hours of paperwork.
The pace of labor rulemaking in the waning months of the Obama presidency will easily exceed that of the presidencies of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan. On average, the Obama administration’s Department of Labor finalized nearly twice as many major labor regulations per year than the previous four administrations.
Learn more about the impact of President Obama’s labor agenda on manufacturers here.
THEY’RE STILL TRYING TO GET A BUDGET DEAL IN D.C.
The Senate voted 89-7 on Tuesday to move forward on a bill that eventually will be used to fund the government through Dec. 9, Politico reported. A bloc of conservatives voted no, but the measure easily cleared the 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster, powered by votes from Senate Democrats, centrist Republicans, and GOP senators up for reelection.
Enough Republicans supported Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the deal because there are still several opportunities to block the bill later if senators believe it’s a bad deal. McConnell said parties were “close” to finalizing an agreement Tuesday afternoon.
Senators seek a deal that will allow them to go home and campaign for reelection more quickly. Republicans said the Senate was certain to stay in session next week, ensuring that the annual slog over must-pass government spending would – as in previous years – go down to the wire.
DEMOCRATS NOW WANT REPUBLICANS TO FIX OBAMACARE
Congressional Democrats, who own ObamaCare, are watching it go down the tube as insurers drop out but now want Republicans to fix it. Congress passed ObamaCare 2010 without a single Republican vote and against warnings that it would lead to higher health care premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for consumers.
The Hill reports that Democrats are beginning to talk about changing ObamaCare to fix what they acknowledge are growing problems in the law’s insurance marketplaces. Insurers have been dropping out of ObamaCare or hiking premiums due to financial losses, fueling Republican criticism of the law.
Democrats are pushing back while at the same time expressing hope that Republicans will work with them to make fixes to the law when the new Congress convenes in 2017. “There are things we can do and need to do to address restoring competition in these exchanges, and my hope is when we’re through the elections and past the elections, we’ll do those,” Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said.
Meanwhile, Democrats seek to add government-run insurance to the Obamacare mix. There are now 33 senators who have signed on to a resolution from Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., calling for adding a government-run insurer, or “public option.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Obama judge added to climate rule case
The Hill (Cama 9/22) “A judge appointed by President Obama has been added to the group that will decide the fate of his landmark climate change regulation. The addition of Judge Nina Pillard tips the scales further toward Democratic appointees for the case, for which the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will hear oral arguments next week.
“Now six of the judges hearing the case were appointed by Democrats and four by Republicans, although the party affiliations may not necessarily dictate how the judges rule. Arguments over the legality of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan will take place Tuesday.
“The Clean Power Plan, which Obama made final last year, dictates that the power sector cut its greenhouse gas emissions 32 percent by 2030. Conservative states, energy companies and business groups say it violates the law. The rule is currently on hold, thanks to an unprecedented Supreme Court order in February saying the EPA cannot enforce it while it is being litigated.”