UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES / From the desk of Tom Cole
While back in the Fourth District of Oklahoma, one of the top concerns I hear from constituents is the crushing weight of increasing overreach, overregulation and red tape from the federal government, which does not allow families and small businesses to flourish and succeed. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has not taken note, and while forcing its progressive policies on the nation, President Joe Biden and Democrats have instead abused regulatory power and have produced egregious regulation after regulation.
The Constitution clearly articulates that Congress holds lawmaking power. However, President Biden and his administration have circumvented Congress over and over again. In fact, President Biden finalized regulations adding more than $200 billion in new regulatory costs in his first year as president, which was more than quadruple the costs added during President Barack Obama’s first year, and more than $1 trillion in new regulations in 2022.
To reassert the legislative authority of Congress, last week House Republicans passed the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2023. In an era of expanding government regulations, this legislation puts the American people first by requiring congressional approval for major and costly regulations, offering a necessary check on the regulatory state. This legislation would define a “major rule” as any federal rule or regulation that may result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government industries, government agencies or geographic regions or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign- based enterprises.
Excessive and burdensome regulations hinder economic growth and innovation. The REINS Act recognizes the detrimental impact of regulatory overreach and offers a business- and economy-friendly solution. By subjecting major regulations from unelected officials to congressional approval, this bill gives the power back to the American people and those they elect. Members of Congress will be able to evaluate the potential economic consequences and ensure that proposed regulations strike the right balance between protecting public interests and promoting economic growth.
An overregulated United States is bad for families, businesses and the economy, and federal agencies currently wield significant power to shape policy without sufficient public scrutiny. The American people who foot the bill while complying with these excessive regulatory burdens deserve congressional debate and consideration – not an unnamed bureaucrat in an agency office unilaterally passing on unfunded mandates. The REINS Act is a crucial step towards reining in excessive regulations, promoting economic growth, protecting individual liberties and ensuring the American people are heard in the regulatory process.
