President Barack Obama’s rumored draft of an executive order that would require government-contracting companies to disclose political donations is continuing to draw fire from both industry circles and from the Capitol chamber.
The Hill now reports that more than 40 members of the Republican Study Group — a conservative caucus of House Republicans — have pledged to block the proposed executive order with legislation if Obama actually signs it into law.
“Instead of improving the federal procurement process to become more objective, the proposed executive order would increase political considerations as a determinative factor in how federal contracts are awarded,†according to the letter, obtained by The Hill.
The letter follows outcry from across both sides of the aisle in well-known government-contracting industry circles.
However, perhaps in a sign that opposition has deepened across the business community, The Hill also reports that more than 80 business groups, as far flung as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Retail Federation to the National Association of Manufacturers, sent a letter earlier this week urging the administration to drop the controversial provision.
