REIN(S) in Executive Overreach, Improve Balance of Power

Communications • January 5, 2017

House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released the following statement after the House passed two bills, the Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017 and the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2017, to reclaim power of the purse authority for Congress and protect the American people from a last-minute regulatory onslaught. These were two of the first votes in the 115th Congress.

“It’s time to act with a sense of purpose to rebuild the American idea — and reclaim the people’s voice,” said McMorris Rodgers. “This New Year and new Congress bring opportunities — a moment — given to us by the American people. That’s why in our first week we pushed back against Executive overreach. Regulations crafted by unelected and unaccountable federal bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. are killing businesses, making farming difficult, and stifling everyone from stay-at-home parents to college presidents. When you have bureaucrats like the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy talking about ‘running – not walking – through the finish line’ of this presidency, it’s the American people who are getting trampled.

“With the Midnight Rules Relief Act and the REINS Act, we are standing up for men and women of all walks of life and pushing back against the heavy hand of government. Because the American people – not the government – know best how to live their lives and raise their families. I’m grateful for Reps. Issa and Collins’s leadership and for offering critical tools to protect the people’s voice.”

The Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017 (H.R. 21), introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), enhances oversight of the overreaching regulations often issued during a president’s final months in office. The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2017 (H.R. 26), introduced by Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), require any executive branch rule or regulation with an annual economic impact of $100 million or more —a ‘major rule’ — to come before Congress for an up-or-down vote before being enacted.

NOTE: On Constitution Day, McMorris Rodgers discussed Midnight Rules and the need for restoring Congress to its proper role. Click here to read her op-ed on National Review.

Yesterday, McMorris Rodgers joined Vice President-elect Mike Pence and House Republican Leadership at a press conference, challenging her colleagues to rethink how government functions from the top-down. Click here to view her remarks.