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Executive Order 14026 Revoked 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Fidelity (+0.80) 📜 5th Amend: Regulatory Execution with Due Process

Executive Order 14026—Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors

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Tuesday, April 27, 2021
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10 min read (2,015 words)
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86 Fed. Reg. 22835

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 10 min read (2,015 words) • ● Revoked
🎯 Primary Mandate

Executive departments and agencies, including independent establishments subject to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, 40 U.S.C. 102(4)(A), (5) (agencies), shall, to the extent permitted by law, ensure that contracts and contract-like instruments (as defined in regulations issued pursuant to section 4(a) of this order and as described in section 8(a) of this order) include a clause that the contractor and any covered subcontractors (as defined in regulations issued pursuant to section 4(a) of this order) shall incorporate into lower-tier subcontracts.

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 5th Amend: Regulatory Execution with Due Process
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Sovereign State Governments & Localities Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants Private Citizens & Property Owners

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

Signed by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on April 27, 2021, this order concerns Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors. This order promotes economy and efficiency in Federal procurement by increasing the hourly minimum wage paid by the parties that contract with the Federal Government to $15.00 for those workers working on or in connection with a Federal Government contract as described in section 8 of this order.

Constitutional Assessment: Evaluated against the Fifth Amendment, this action touches upon property or economic rights. An early statesman would insist upon strict adherence to due process of law and the constitutional guarantee that private holdings shall not be encumbered or taken for public purposes without just compensation and lawful process.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

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Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors

Executive departments and agencies, including independent establishments subject to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, 40 U.S.C. 102(4)(A), (5) (agencies), shall, to the extent permitted by law, ensure that contracts and contract-like instruments (as defined in regulations issued pursuant to section 4(a) of this order and as described in section 8(a) of this order) include a clause that the contractor and any covered subcontractors (as defined in regulations issued pursuant to section 4(a) of this order) shall incorporate into lower-tier subcontracts.

▪
Application to Tipped Workers

For workers covered under section 2 of this order who are tipped employees pursuant to section 3(t) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(t)), the cash wage that must be paid by an employer to such workers shall be at least: (i) $10.50 per hour, beginning January 30, 2022; (ii) beginning January 1, 2023, 85 percent of the wage in effect under section 2 of this order, rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05; and (iii) beginning January 1, 2024, and for each subsequent year, 100 percent of the wage in effect under section 2 of this order.

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Regulations and Implementation

The Secretary shall, consistent with applicable law, issue regulations by November 24, 2021, to implement the requirements of this order.

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Enforcement

The Secretary shall have the authority for investigating potential violations of and obtaining compliance with this order.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
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The Framers' Constitutional Council

1787 Prism

Evaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.

🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority)
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"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."

— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
JM

James Madison

Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy

"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)

Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.

Madisonian Stance: Concurring (Statutory)
AH

Alexander Hamilton

The Energetic Executive & Unified Command

"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)

Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.

Hamiltonian Stance: Supportive of Execution
GM

George Mason

Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment

"The purse and the sword ought never to be in the same hands... nor the liberties of the citizen placed at the pleasure of a single magistrate." — Virginia Ratifying Convention (1788)

George Mason and the Anti-Federalists would sound a fierce warning. They feared that Article II would inevitably evolve into an elective monarchy. When an executive order impacts private rights, property, or civil liberties without individualized judicial process, Mason would see their darkest predictions verified.

Anti-Federalist Stance: High Bill of Rights Scrutiny
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Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions

An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.

⚖️ Discretionary Twilight Zone
40 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

Moderate Friction

Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.

Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

Moderate Friction

Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.

Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment

Federalism & State Sovereignty

Moderate Friction

Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.

Benchmark: Police powers and un-delegated responsibilities reserved to the States.
Dimension 4 • 5th & 14th Amendments

Due Process & Individual Rights

Moderate Friction

Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.

Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers

Youngstown Jacksonian Tier

Low Friction

The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.

Benchmark: Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
⚖️ Audit Synthesis

This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.

Weighted composite: Art. I (25%), Art. II (25%), Federalism (15%), Due Process (15%), Youngstown (20%).
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How to read these dimensions: Executive power expands whenever an administration acts without explicit statutory authorization from Congress (Article I), touches upon police powers historically reserved to the states (Tenth Amendment), or limits private rights and property without judicial process. A low friction score indicates strict concordance with enacted law; a high friction score highlights orders testing the limits of presidential discretion.
Total Words
2,015
12,671 characters
Estimated Read Time
10 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
16.7
Post-Graduate Legal
Language Tone Score
+0.80
Constitutional Fidelity
How is this scored?
Text size:

Official Archival Text

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By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, 40 U.S.C. 101 et seq ., and in order to promote economy and efficiency in procurement by contracting with sources that adequately compensate their workers, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1 . #sec-1

Policy . This order promotes economy and efficiency in Federal procurement by increasing the hourly minimum wage paid by the parties that contract with the Federal Government to $15.00 for those workers working on or in connection with a Federal Government contract as described in section 8 of this order. Raising the minimum wage enhances worker productivity and generates higher-quality work by boosting workers' health, morale, and effort; reducing absenteeism and turnover; and lowering supervisory and training costs. Accordingly, ensuring that Federal contractors pay their workers an hourly wage of at least $15.00 will bolster economy and efficiency in Federal procurement.

Sec. 2 . #sec-2

Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors . (a) Executive departments and agencies, including independent establishments subject to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, 40 U.S.C. 102(4)(A), (5) (agencies), shall, to the extent permitted by law, ensure that contracts and contract-like instruments (as defined in regulations issued pursuant to section 4(a) of this order and as described in section 8(a) of this order) include a clause that the contractor and any covered subcontractors (as defined in regulations issued pursuant to section 4(a) of this order) shall incorporate into lower-tier subcontracts. This clause shall specify that, as a condition of payment, the minimum wage to be paid to workers employed in the performance of the contract or any covered subcontract thereunder, including workers whose wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates issued under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)), shall be at least: (i) $15.00 per hour, beginning January 30, 2022; and (ii) beginning January 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, an amount determined by the Secretary of Labor (Secretary). The amount shall be published by the Secretary at least 90 days before such new minimum wage is to take effect and shall be: (A) not less than the amount in effect on the date of such determination; (B) increased from such amount by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (United States city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted), or its successor publication, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and (C) rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05. (b) In calculating the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for purposes of subsection (a)(ii)(B) of this section, the Secretary shall compare such Consumer Price Index for the most recent month, quarter, or year available (as selected by the Secretary prior to the first year for which a minimum wage is in effect pursuant to subsection (a)(ii)(B) of this section) with the Consumer Price Index for the same month in the preceding year, the same quarter in the preceding year, or the preceding year, respectively. (c) Nothing in this order shall excuse noncompliance with any applicable Federal or State prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or municipal ordinance establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum wage established under this order.

Sec. 3 . #sec-3

Application to Tipped Workers . (a) For workers covered under section 2 of this order who are tipped employees pursuant to section 3(t) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(t)), the cash wage that must be paid by an employer to such workers shall be at least: (i) $10.50 per hour, beginning January 30, 2022; (ii) beginning January 1, 2023, 85 percent of the wage in effect under section 2 of this order, rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05; and (iii) beginning January 1, 2024, and for each subsequent year, 100 percent of the wage in effect under section 2 of this order. (b) Where workers do not receive a sufficient additional amount on account of tips, when combined with the hourly cash wage paid by the employer, such that their wages are equal to the minimum wage under section 2 of this order, the cash wage paid by the employer, as set forth in this section for those workers, shall be increased such that their wages equal the minimum wage under section 2 of this order. Consistent with applicable law, if the wage required to be paid under the Service Contract Act, 41 U.S.C. 6701 et seq ., or any other applicable law or regulation is higher than the wage required under section 2 of this order, the employer shall pay additional cash wages sufficient to meet the highest wage required to be paid.

Sec. 4 . #sec-4

Regulations and Implementation . (a) The Secretary shall, consistent with applicable law, issue regulations by November 24, 2021, to implement the requirements of this order. Such regulations shall include both definitions of relevant terms and, as appropriate, exclusions from the requirements of this order. Within 60 days of the Secretary issuing such regulations, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, to the extent permitted by law, shall amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to provide for inclusion in Federal procurement solicitations, contracts, and contract-like instruments subject to this order the clause described in section 2(a) of this order. (b) Within 60 days of the Secretary issuing regulations pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, agencies shall take steps, to the extent permitted by law, to exercise any applicable authority to ensure that contracts and contract-like instruments as described in sections 8(a)(i)(C) and (D) of this order, entered into on or after January 30, 2022, consistent with the effective date of such agency action, comply with the requirements set forth in sections 2 and 3 of this order. (c) Any regulations issued pursuant to this section should, to the extent practicable, incorporate existing definitions, principles, procedures, remedies, and enforcement processes under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq .; the Service Contract Act, 41 U.S.C. 6701 et seq .; the Davis-Bacon Act, 40 U.S.C. 3141 et seq .; Executive Order 13658 of February 12, 2014 (Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors); and regulations issued to implement that order.

Sec. 5 . #sec-5

Enforcement . (a) The Secretary shall have the authority for investigating potential violations of and obtaining compliance with this order. (b) This order creates no rights under the Contract Disputes Act, 41 U.S.C. 7101 et seq ., and disputes regarding whether a contractor has paid the wages prescribed by this order, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, shall be disposed of only as provided by the Secretary in regulations issued pursuant to this order.

Sec. 6 . #sec-6

Revocation of Certain Presidential Actions . Executive Order 13838 of May 25, 2018 (Exemption From Executive Order 13658 for Recreational Services on Federal Lands), is revoked as of January 30, 2022. Executive Order 13658 of February 12, 2014 (Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors), is superseded, as of January 30, 2022, to the extent it is inconsistent with this order.

Sec. 7 . #sec-7

Severability . If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision of this order to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and its application to any other person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby.

Sec. 8 . #sec-8

Applicability . (a) This order shall apply to any new contract; new contract-like instrument; new solicitation; extension or renewal of an existing contract or contract-like instrument; and exercise of an option on an existing contract or contract-like instrument, if (i): (A) it is a procurement contract or contract-like instrument for services or construction; (B) it is a contract or contract-like instrument for services covered by the Service Contract Act; (C) it is a contract or contract-like instrument for concessions, including any concessions contract excluded by Department of Labor regulations at 29 C.F.R. 4.133(b); or (D) it is a contract or contract-like instrument entered into with the Federal Government in connection with Federal property or lands and related to offering services for Federal employees, their dependents, or the general public; and (ii) the wages of workers under such contract or contract-like instrument are governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Service Contract Act, or the Davis-Bacon Act. (b) For contracts or contract-like instruments covered by the Service Contract Act or the Davis-Bacon Act, this order shall apply only to contracts or contract-like instruments at the thresholds specified in those statutes. Where workers' wages are governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, this order shall apply only to procurement contracts or contract-like instruments that exceed the micro-purchase threshold, as defined in 41 U.S.C. 1902(a), unless expressly made subject to this order pursuant to regulations or actions taken under section 4 of this order. (c) This order shall not apply to grants; contracts, contract-like instruments, or agreements with Indian Tribes under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (Public Law 93-638), as amended; or any contracts or contract-like instruments expressly excluded by the regulations issued pursuant to section 4(a) of this order.

Sec. 9 . #sec-9

Effective Date . (a) This order is effective immediately and shall apply to new contracts; new contract-like instruments; new solicitations; extensions or renewals of existing contracts or contract-like instruments; and exercises of options on existing contracts or contract-like instruments, as described in section 8(a) in this order, where the relevant contract or contract-like instrument will be entered into, the relevant contract or contract-like instrument will be extended or renewed, or the relevant option will be exercised, on or after: (i) January 30, 2022, consistent with the effective date for the action taken by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council pursuant to section 4(a) of this order; or (ii) for contracts where an agency action is taken pursuant to section 4(b) of this order, January 30, 2022, consistent with the effective date for such action. (b) As an exception to subsection (a) of this section, where agencies have issued a solicitation before the effective date for the relevant action taken pursuant to section 4 of this order and entered into a new contract or contract-like instrument resulting from such solicitation within 60 days of such effective date, such agencies are strongly encouraged but not required to ensure that the minimum wages specified in sections 2 and 3 of this order are paid in the new contract or contract-like instrument. But if that contract or contract-like instrument is subsequently extended or renewed, or an option is subsequently exercised under that contract or contract-like instrument, the minimum wages specified in sections 2 and 3 of this order shall apply to that extension, renewal, or option. (c) For all existing contracts and contract-like instruments, solicitations issued between the date of this order and the effective dates set forth in this section, and contracts and contract-like instruments entered into between the date of this order and the effective dates set forth in this section, agencies are strongly encouraged, to the extent permitted by law, to ensure that the hourly wages paid under such contracts or contract-like instruments are consistent with the minimum wages specified in sections 2 and 3 of this order.

Sec. 10 . #sec-10

General Provisions . (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR. The White House, April 27, 2021.

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Referenced By Later Executive Orders (1)

Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 14,026, 86 Fed. Reg. 22,835 (Apr. 27, 2021).