White House Caves

The White House today caved in on the Davis-Bacon act suspension they initiated for the Gulf coast region after Katrina. Davis-Bacon requires that companies that receive Federal contracts pay their workers the local prevailing wage. Bush suspended the act in early September for the are devastated by Katrina. The reason supposedly was to reduce rebuilding costs, but naturally the Republican administration did so by cutting into working people's wages.

A group of centrist Republicans and a once again unified Democratic caucus forced a vote on a proposal to restore the act for the region. Facing certain defeat the White House restored the act on its own. This is an important lesson on the value of fighting back against the current crop of Republicans. Compromise only emboldens them to demand more, hence the steady drift to the right. Fight back and you win.