8-26-2023 10:39am

Regulatory Overreach Congress enacts 1 Law for Every 18 Agency Regulations Created

Chris Edwards Editor

From ceiling fans and gas stoves to a whole plethora of items Americans like to purchase regulation is part of the cost of business. However excess regulation is costing small business billions in lost revenue and increases the cost to consumers.

Congress has the power to limit regulatory overreach. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress to effectively void rules promulgated by federal agencies.

Due to the CRA’s structure, however, it has been seldom used as to be successful, and it typically must be used when a new president from a different party than the predecessor enters the White House and the new president’s party fully controls Congress.

At the end of the 117th Congress, 23 resolutions of disapproval had been introduced. Only three passed through both houses of Congress and were signed by the president.

Under the Trump administration 710 regulations by agencies were in acted. To date under the Biden presidency 633 have been enacted. Since its enactment, the CRA has been used to overturn a total of 20 rules: 1 in the 107th Congress (2001-2002), 16 in the 115th Congress (2017-2018), and 3 in the 117th Congress (2021-2022).

Looking back as we entered the Trump administration there had been 88,899 federal rules and regulations since 1995 through December 2016, but "only" 4,312 laws.

Another 2,419 proposed rules were in play at year-end 2016. Given the Trump administration placed a moratorium, many of those were under review during 2017. But at the end of his term 710 were put into action with 633 to date with Biden and only 20 of the thousands of federal rules have been overturned by congress using the CRA process. Congress had abandoned its duty and regulatory agencies have abused their power.

Just recently the Energy Department proposed new rules to ceiling fan manufacturers that would save households about $39 over their lifespan - a saving of 40 percent - and cost customers around $10 more for each fan. Is that worth it? $39 over the LIFETIME of a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan lasts an average of 10 years so this burden in regulation saves the consumer $3.90 a year. But not really because the cost goes up $10 so the savings is potentially $29 or $2.90 per year over 10 years of use.

They say the $10 cost will be offset within four years.

However, the cost to manufacturers associated with the increased equipment will total $86.6 million per year, the department said.

Roger Williams, who chairs the House Small Business Committee, wrote to Jennifer Granholm, the energy secretary, to demand they rethink the plan.

Joe Biden, on his first day in office, ordered the Energy Department to make 'major revisions' to current appliance regulation standards and standards set by the Trump administration.

A month later, the agency listed more than a dozen energy-efficiency rules impacting appliances like water heaters, cooking products and lamps, that it would review.

'These proposed standards, which are required by Congress, wouldn't take effect until 2028

Earlier this year, the Energy Department kicked a hornet's nest when it emerged that they are in the process of proposing stronger efficiency regulations for new gas stoves that would also effectively reduce their emissions.

And in January 2023, the Consumer Product Safety Commission made it clear that while the agency isn't looking to ban gas stoves, it is actively researching performance tests for measuring emissions, safety standards, and other solutions for reducing the potential hazards.

We the people need to demand congressional action and cease the endless over regulation by agencies. Congress had abandoned its duty and regulatory agencies have abused their power. Contact your representative and senator and demand congress use the powers it has to limit needless regulations and to act on laws itself verses allowing regulatory agencies to indirectly create laws.