Press Releases

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in passing H.R. 26, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act by a vote of 237 to 187. This legislation would require a Congressional vote on any major rule or regulation coming from the executive branch that is estimated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to impact the economy by $100 million or more. Congress would have 70 legislative days to approve a major rule with an economic impact more than $100 million and send it to the president for signature, otherwise the rule would not take effect. There is a process that provides an exemption for national emergencies such as weather-related disasters.

The executive branch includes the president, vice president, and cabinet as well as the federal agencies. Including the armed forces, the executive branch employs more than four million workers.

“Here in the House we’ve long been focused on reining in the most expensive government rules and regulations that hurt American workers, businesses, and families,” said Upton. “Under our Constitution, Congress controls the power of the purse – not unelected bureaucrats. The REINS Act is a common-sense piece of legislation that will help restore much-needed accountability and constitutionality to the regulatory process. I was proud to support it.”    

The pace and volume of federal regulations and rules is staggering. In 2016, the Obama administration broke all records in printing 97,110 pages of rules and regulations, including issuing 3,853 rules and regulations in the Federal Register. These rules and regulations pose enormous burdens on American job-creators and exert a drag on the economy. One study finds that federal regulations have reduced the annual growth rate of the United States gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.8 percent.

Earlier this week, Upton also supported H.R. 21, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, which enables Congress to repeal en masse last-minute regulations issued from the administration.