House Passes Messer’s Amendment to Rein in Federal Regulations

WASHINGTON (Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017) — The U.S. House of Representatives today passed an amendment authored by Rep. Luke Messer (IN-06) that would rein in federal regulations.

Messer’s amendment would require every federal agency issuing a new rule to repeal or amend at least one existing rule, to offset any costs on the U.S. economy. 

His amendment was considered as part of the REINS Act (H.R. 26), which would also require Congressional approval of any federal regulation with an economic impact of more than $100 million. 

“The American economy and taxpayers are being crushed by endless and often unnecessary federal regulation,” Messer said. “We have got to get this under control and rein in the ever-growing federal bureaucracy. The collective weight of federal regulations puts a giant tax on the American people, and enough is enough.”

In 2016 alone, federal agencies issued 18 rules and regulations for every one law passed by Congress. That’s a grand total of 3,853 regulations.  In 2015, federal regulations cost the American economy nearly $1.9 trillion in lost growth and productivity.

The House also passed legislation this week that would allow Congress to swiftly overturn federal regulations pushed through in the waning months of President Obama’s administration.

The Midnight Rules Relief Act (H.R. 21) amends the Congressional Review Act (CRA) allowing Congress to repeal multiple regulations at once if they were finalized within 60 legislative days of the end of a presidential term. 

“President Obama has used his last year in office to churn out as many regulations as possible to push his agenda, leaving the American people to foot the bill,” Messer said. “This last-minute rulemaking is done with very little oversight or public scrutiny, and it should be stopped.”