Through executive orders, Obama tests power as purchaser-in-chief
(Worthy News) – As he tries to increase the minimum wage, ensure paycheck fairness and provide paid time off for American workers, President Obama is turning to an arcane but powerful tool: the power of the purchaser.
If there’s one industry that’s been disproportionately impacted by President Obama’s executive orders, it’s federal government contractors. Since becoming president, Obama has signed at least 15 executive orders and presidential memoranda aimed at contractors, dictating their hiring and firing practices, compensation policies and working conditions. The orders also require contractors to meet energy efficiency goals, prohibit human trafficking and other exploitative hiring practices, and ban texting while driving.
Buyers have always used their ability to buy in bulk to leverage a better deal, and the federal government has more purchasing power than any other buyer in the world, awarding more than $445 billion in contracts in fiscal year 2014. [ Source ]