Today the House passed a bill to stop the controversial Obama Administration regulation to expand the EPA’s authority over water and wetlands.

The regulation, also known as “Waters of the U.S.,” would give the EPA more power to regulate bodies of water, including streams, drainage ditches and puddles. Previously their jurisdiction only applied to “navigable waters” like rivers and lakes.

“This is an unprecedented and unacceptable expansion of power,” said McKinley. “We should not give EPA bureaucrats license to harass and penalize farmers and other property owners.”

“The rule represents a troubling intrusion into the lives of ordinary citizens just trying to earn a living,” said McKinley. “Take for example the Wyoming farmer who was fined $37,500 per day for building a pond on his property to provide water for his horses, despite having obtained permits from the state. This is a power grab, pure and simple.”

The latest action by the House utilized the Congressional Review Act, a seldom-used procedure which allows Congress to repeal major regulations. The Senate already passed the measure, and the bill now goes to the President’s desk.

“We will continue to stand up to this massive overreach by the Obama Administration in Congress and in the courts,” said McKinley.

Rep. McKinley has joined multiple letters to delay and block the water rule and votedto halt implementation last year. A federal court has temporarily blocked the rule from going into effect.