By Jesse Russell

The Bush administration has chosen to reinstate the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage law. The federal law requires companies awarded federal contracts pay the prevailing wage in a region, Bush had suspended the law in the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The administration had been assaulted for the decision by community groups and labor unions. Bill Samuels is legislative director for the AFL-CIO.

[Samuels]: The reaction was overwhelmingly bipartisan, there was republicans in the House as well as just about every democrat in the Congress who strongly opposed the President's move.

He added that he believes the President's decision was two-fold:

[Samuels]: I think this was in part a face saving move and in part recognition that there was the votes in Congress to overturn it if the President didn't act voluntarily.

Terence O'Sullivan, President of the Laborers' International Union said in a statement that the bipartisan spirit that led to the reinstatement should "be harnessed to push forward the adoption of responsible contracting policies "and make sure that rebuilding is done by "honest, qualified, safety conscious contractors who pay and treat workers fairly."