Trump’s administration considers rule that would make it easier for businesses to exploit workers

The U.S. Department of Labor plans to propose a rule that would reexamine worker classification, redefining who is given certain labor protections and who is not.

The boom of the so-called gig economy — as seen in ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft and others like TaskRabbit and DoorDash — have raised questions about whether people providing these services should be classified as entrepreneurs or as workers.

Meanwhile, House Democrats are focusing on the Labor Department's handling of its proposed tip-pooling rule, after reports that the department moved to hide findings that the rule would rob workers of billions of dollars every year. On Friday, Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Keith Ellison (D-MN) Mark Takano (D-OR), and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) asked for all economic analyses of the rule. Democrats have also called for an investigation into Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta after a Miami Herald report on his role in securing a plea deal for multimillionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was able to avoid prison despite allegations that he sexually abused dozens of girls.