Biden Wage Chief Restores Staff Power to Police Employer Abuses

The Biden administration’s Labor Department is empowering career officials across the U.S. to deploy a range of enforcement tools when scouring businesses for wage violations, overturning a Trump-era policy that consolidated approval of such decisions under one politically appointed leader.

Jessica Looman, the principal deputy administrator of DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, earlier this month revoked 2019 instructions issued by the Trump-appointed WHD Administrator Cheryl Stanton, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg Law.

Looman, who arrived on Inauguration Day, is ceding control to regional and district office personnel, who now gain final approval on multiple actions—such as more ...