Speaker Ryan Urges Obama Administration to Stop Rulemaking
Before leaving town for Thanksgiving, House Speaker Paul Ryan reaffirmed his stance that federal regulators relax their rulemaking until the start of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
“The last thing we need to see today or in the next weeks are unelected bureaucrats pushing through regulations at the eleventh hour,” Ryan (R-Wis.) told reporters on Capitol Hill on Nov. 17.
Ryan’s comments came on the day the House passed a bill which would essentially expand Congress’ authority to reject or remove regulations adopted during the final days of President Obama’s administration.
The Midnight Rules Relief Act, sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), advanced 240-179. Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona joined Republicans to pass the bill.
Despite the almost party-line split on the passage vote, Issa said the legislation reflected bipartisanship.
“This bipartisan bill is about reviving the separation of powers to ensure our laws are written by the representatives we actually vote for, not unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats who are on their way out the door. Presidents of both parties have made habit of enacting scores of last-minute regulations, with little oversight, to sneak in as much of their agenda as possible before the clock runs out on their time in office,” Issa said.
The Senate had yet to take up the measure.
