Investing in America and Investing in American Workers
This executive order, titled Investing in America and Investing in American Workers (Executive Order 14126, signed September 6, 2024), directs federal agencies to prioritize the use of federal funds for projects that create high-quality, well-paying jobs and advance strong labor standards. It emphasizes expanding union rights and workforce development, including pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships, on federally assisted projects. The order establishes a cross-agency framework to promote labor standards, equity, and worker protections—while tying these goals to efficiency in project delivery and community benefits. It creates the Investing in Good Jobs Task Force to coordinate policy development, share best practices, and build agency expertise for implementing these priorities. As a policy directive, the order guides how agencies should evaluate and select projects for federal funding, but it does not create new rights or require new funding by itself. Implementation depends on applicable law and appropriations. The approach aligns with broader climate and infrastructure agendas and Justice40 goals, and it places a strong emphasis on transparency, accountability, and data collection to track labor standards and worker outcomes on federally funded work.
Key Points
- 1Policy focus on good jobs and high labor standards: The order aims to promote equitable workforce development pathways, union participation, fair wages, worker safety, and anti-discrimination on federally funded projects, balancing efficiency with strong labor protections.
- 2Clear definitions to guide scope: It defines “implementing agencies,” “community benefits agreements,” “Federal financial assistance,” “Investing in America agenda,” “pre-apprenticeship,” “registered apprenticeship,” “project labor agreement,” and other terms to ensure consistent understanding across agencies.
- 3Implementation priorities for funding decisions: When selecting projects for Federal financial assistance, agencies should prioritize:
- 4- Positive labor-management relations and tools like project labor agreements and community benefits agreements
- 5- Wages that are family-sustaining and compare favorably to industry standards
- 6- Benefits such as paid leave, health care, retirement, and care support
- 7- Opportunities for workers from underserved communities, and non-discrimination
- 8- Strong workforce development through training and portable credentials, including apprenticeships
- 9How agencies should implement (Implementation Approach): Agencies can use criteria or factors in applications, publish guidance with best practices, engage with applicants during pre-award processes, and collect data to demonstrate progress (including yes/no questions, certified payrolls where applicable, and voluntary reporting of metrics). The order also contemplates enforcing compliance and training agency staff to support job quality through project lifecycles.
- 10Establishment of the Investing in Good Jobs Task Force: The White House creates a Task Force co-chaired by the Secretary of Labor and the President’s economic policy director, with broad agency representation (e.g., Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, HUD, Transportation, Energy, Education, Homeland Security, EPA, and other offices). The Task Force will develop and share best practices, help agencies build expertise, and assist in implementing the priorities.