Capitol Report: Reining in Out-of-Control Agencies

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to rein in federal agencies with legislation to bring all new major rules for a Congressional vote before implementation. The bloated Code of Federal Regulations is more than 175,000 pages long, and just last year federal regulators in the Obama administration issued 2,400 new rules. During Barack Obama’s entire presidency, the administration has only issued 17 rules that decreased regulatory burdens, but has added $80 billion in new regulatory costs, according to the Heritage Foundation. What these unelected bureaucrats seem to forget is that federal agencies are funded by Congress. Agencies are forcing costly, inefficient, ineffective rules on folks, far beyond the laws Congress has passed to keep Americans safe and healthy.

The REINS Act passed the House this week and is another common sense step toward regulatory reform. I continue working to keep rural families from dealing with outrageous Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on wood burning stoves, to stop the Department of Labor from obstructing kids from helping on family farms, and to keep the federal government from controlling school lunches.

Additionally, I added an amendment to the REINS Act to specifically require Congressional approval of all rules stemming from Obamacare in order to help give families and job creators peace of mind. Across the district, I hear from families who are worried that Obamacare’s 3,000 pages of regulations will change their relationship with their doctor and make health care unaffordable. Job creators are holding back on hiring because they aren’t sure if more expensive Obamacare rules are around the corner. My amendment makes sure that we can speak for the folks back home and keep unelected bureaucrats from issuing more devastating rules.

Americans deserve a government that is efficient, effective and accountable. That’s what the REINS Act and my amendment help provide.

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