WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Tom Price, M.D. (GA-06), applauded the passage of H.R. 5982, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives, saying:
“Throughout his tenure, President Obama has continuously defied the will of the American people by issuing an unprecedented amount of regulations that have placed a serious burden on the U.S. economy, American businesses, paychecks, and family budgets,” said Congressman Tom Price. “We can expect the president will continue these harmful actions during his final days in office. That’s why Congress is taking action to prevent President Obama from ramming through last-minute, high-cost, politically-driven regulations. The American people have spoken and voted for change, and for once the White House ought to respect their voices.”
Specifically, the Midnight Rules Relief Act:
- Solves the problem of midnight rules with one simple stroke, amending the Congressional Review Act to allow CRA resolutions that disapprove of multiple midnight rules to be passed by the incoming Congress.
- Sets neither a minimum nor a maximum number of midnight rules that a CRA resolution can disapprove. It thus preserves maximum flexibility for a new Congress to respond with a resolution targeting only those midnight rules that truly are problematic—such as those that defy the message sent by the voters or those that have been poorly designed in the haste of the midnight rule period.
- Establishes a strong incentive for presidential administrations to avoid issuing problematic midnight rules in the first place, because the bill establishes a simple, rapid-response method for a new Congress to undo abusive midnight rules.
In addition to voting for the Midnight Rules Relief Act, Congressman Price has authored H.R. 4956, the End Executive Overreach Act—legislation to stop the Obama Administration’s usurpation of legislative authority and abuse of power by defunding any new executive orders and suspending agencies’ rule making authority until the day president Obama leaves office. Click here to learn more about this legislation, which currently has 106 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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