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  3. |Nothing to Sneeze at: Obama Administration Issues 13th EO Targeting Federal Contractors

Nothing to Sneeze at: Obama Administration Issues 13th EO Targeting Federal Contractors

Client Alert | 1 min read | 09.08.15

On September 7, the Obama Administration issued a new executive order requiring that federal government contractors provide paid sick leave to employees, the latest in a series of EOs targeting federal contractors, which have to date resulted in 16 new regulations (previously discussed herehere, and here). According to the White House, "[b]eginning with new contracts in 2017, workers will earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked," which will provide "approximately 300,000 people working on federal contracts the new ability to earn up to seven days of paid sick leave each year."


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Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.14.26

DOJ’s False Claims Act Resolution Against IBM Signals Heightened Risk for Federal Contractors with DEI Programs

On Friday, April 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has agreed to pay just over $17 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by failing to comply with federal anti-discrimination requirements incorporated into its federal contracts due to allegedly discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) employment practices. This resolution marks the first FCA settlement secured by the DOJ under its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, created in May 2025, and announced by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as part of the administration’s coordinated efforts to target allegedly unlawful DEI practices. Per the agreement, the settlement is neither an admission of liability by IBM nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded....