Ending Discrimination in Government Contracting Act

Key Points

• The bill would end federal contracting preferences for businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and women, removing these categories from set-aside programs, subcontracting goals, and reporting requirements across multiple federal laws.
• The bill repeals the Minority Business Development Act of 2021 entirely, eliminating a dedicated program created to support minority-owned businesses through grants, technical assistance, and capital access.
• For airport improvement grants, the bill cuts the small business participation goal from 10 percent to 5 percent and removes the category of businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals from the program.
• Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, would be banned from considering race, ethnicity, or sex when awarding contracts. They also could not require or encourage contractors to consider these factors when giving out subcontracts.
• Agencies would have 60 days to propose new rules removing race and gender references, and 180 days to finalize those changes. All guidance documents and directives would also need to be updated within 60 days.