Congressional Review Act in the 118th Congress
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress by a simple majority vote in both chambers — with limited debate and no possibility of a filibuster — to overturn recently issued regulations, so long as the president does not veto the resolution of disapproval. The CRA’s expedited process applies only for a short time after a final regulation has been issued and published in the Federal Register.
If a resolution of disapproval becomes law, the targeted rule is void and can have no effect. In addition, the agency is prohibited from issuing another regulation that is “substantially the same,” unless Congress authorizes the agency to do so through subsequent legislation. Because the courts have never determined how different a new regulation must be so that is not “substantially the same,” the scope of this prohibition remains unclear and untested.
The table below lists rules that have been targeted for repeal.
| TARGETED RULE | AGENCY | HOUSE BILL | SENATE BILL | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesser Prairie-Chicken Endangered Species Protections | Fish and Wildlife Service | H.J. Res. 29 | S.J. Res. 9 | 5/3/23 - Passed Senate 51-49 7/27/23 - Passed House 221-206 9/26/23 - Biden vetoed 9/28/23 - Senate override failed 47-46 |
| Veterans Affairs Abortion Counseling | Veterans Affairs | H.J. Res. 31 | S.J. Res. 10 | 4/19/23 - Failed Senate 48-51 |
| Allowing ESG Investing in Employee Benefit Plans | Labor | H.J. Res. 30 | S.J. Res. 8 | 2/28/23 - Passed House 216-204 3/1/23 - Passed Senate 50-46 3/21/23 - Biden vetoed |
| Heavy-Duty Engine Air Pollution Standards | Environmental Protection Agency | H.J. Res. 53 | S.J. Res. 11 | 4/26/23 - Passed Senate 50-49 5/23/23 - Passed House 221-203 6/14/23 - Biden vetoed |
| Duties on Imported Solar Cells | Commerce | H.J. Res. 39 | S.J. Res. 15 | 4/28/23 - Passed House 221-202 5/3/23 - Passed Senate 56-41 5/16/23 - Biden vetoed |
| Waters of the United States | Army Corps of Engineers Defense Environmental Protection Agency | H.J. Res. 27 | S.J. Res. 7 | 3/9/23 - Passed House 227-198 3/29/23 - Passed Senate 53-43 4/6/23 - Biden vetoed |
| Firearms with Stabilizing Braces | Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives | H.J. Res. 44 | S.J. Res. 20 | 6/13/23 - Passed House 219-210 6/22/23 - Failed Senate 49-50 |
| Student Debt Relief | Education | H.J. Res. 45 | S.J. Res. 22 | 5/24/23 - Passed House 218-203 6/1/23 - Passed Senate 52-46 6/7/23 - Biden vetoed |
| Critical Habitat Designations | National Marine Fisheries Service | H.J. Res. 46 | S.J. Res. 23 | 5/11/23 - Passed Senate 51-49 |
| Northern Long-Eared Bat Endangered Species Protections | Fish and Wildlife Service | H.J. Res. 49 | S.J. Res. 24 | 5/11/23 - Passed Senate 51-49 7/27/23 - Passed House 220-208 9/26/23 - Biden vetoed 9/28/23 - Senate override failed 47-45 |
| Small Business Lending | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | H.J. Res. 50 H.J. Res. 66 H.J. Res. 85 | S.J. Res. 32 | 10/18/23 - Passed Senate 53-44 12/1/23 - Passed House 221-202 12/19/23 - Biden vetoed 1/10/24 - Senate override failed 54-45 |
| Wages for Temporary Foreign Agricultural Workers | Labor | H.J. Res. 59 | S.J. Res. 25 | |
| Equal Opportunity Clause Religious Exemption Rule | Labor | H.J. Res. 61 | S.J. Res. 27 S.J. Res. 36 | |
| Good Neighbor Plan for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards | Environmental Protection Agency | H.J. Res. 69 | S.J. Res. 31 | |
| Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers | Federal Highway Administration | S.J. Res. 38 | 11/8/23 - Passed Senate 50-48 1/11/24 - Passed House 209-198 1/24/24 - Biden vetoed 2/29/24 - Senate override failed 50-47 |
|
| Circumvention of Lawful Pathways to Citizenship | Homeland Security | H.J. Res. 83 | S.J. Res. 41 | |
| Income-Driven Loan Repayments | Education | H.J. Res. 88 | S.J. Res. 43 | 11/15/23 - Failed Senate 49-50 12/7/23 - Passed House 210-189 |
| Tests for Residential Water Heaters | Energy | H.J. Res. 91 | ||
| Discrimination Complaint Processing Policy | Food and Nutrition Service | H.J. Res. 92 | S.J. Res. 42 | 10/26/23 - Failed Senate 47-50 |
| Home Confinement Criteria for Inmates with COVID-19 | Justice | H.J. Res. 97 | S.J. Res. 47 | |
| Joint Employer Status | National Labor Relations Board | H.J. Res. 98 | S.J. Res. 49 | 1/12/24 - Passed House 206-177 4/10/24 - Passed Senate 50-48 |
| Cybersecurity | Securities and Exchange Commission | H.J. Res. 100 | S.J. Res. 50 | |
| Weapons Sales to Israel | Defense | H.J. Res. 102 | ||
| Updates to Davis-Bacon | Labor | H.J. Res. 103 | ||
| Digital Discrimination Prevention | Federal Communications Commission | H.J. Res. 107 | ||
| Weapons Sales to Kosovo | Defense | H.J. Res. 108 | ||
| Safeguards for Crypto Assets | Securities and Exchange Commission | H.J. Res. 109 | S.J. Res. 59 | |
| State and Local Pandemic Recovery Funding | Treasury | H.J. Res. 110 | S.J. Res. 57 | |
| Consumer Furnace Energy Standards | Energy | H.J. Res. 111 | S.J. Res. 58 | |
| Highway Greenhouse Gas Assessments | Transportation | H.J. Res. 114 | ||
| Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the FLSA | Labor | H.J. Res. 116 | S.J. Res. 63 | |
| National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter | Environmental Protection Agency | H.J. Res. 117 | S.J. Res. 65 | |
| Private Fund Advisers | Securities and Exchange Commission | H.J. Res. 119 | ||
| Credit Card Junk Fees | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | H.J. Res. 121 H.J. Res. 122 | S.J. Res. 70 | |
| Chemical Releases | Environmental Protection Agency | H.J. Res. 123 | ||
| Climate-Related Financial Risks | Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Federal Reserve Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | H.J. Res. 124 H.J Res. 125 H.J. Res. 126 | ||
| Climate Disclosures for Investors | Securities and Exchange Commission | H.J. Res. 127 | ||
| Oil and Gas Climate Emissions | Environmental Protection Agency | H.J. Res. 128 | S.J. Res. 71 | |
| Aircraft Lead Emissions | Environmental Protection Agency | S.J. Res. 52 | ||
| Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia | Defense | S.J. Res. 53 | ||
| Weapons Sales to Egypt | Defense | S.J. Res. 54 | ||
| Weapons Sales to Egypt | Defense | S.J. Res. 55 | ||
| Weapons Sales to Egypt | Defense | S.J. Res. 56 | ||
| Weapons Sales to Turkey | Defense | S.J. Res. 60 | ||
| Highway Greenhouse Gas Emission Meaures | Federal Highway Administration | S.J. Res. 61 | 4/10/24 - Passed Senate 53-47 | |
| Beef Imports from Paraguay | Agriculture | S.J. Res. 62 | 3/21/24 - Passed Senate 75-25 | |
| Weapons Sales to Bahrain | Defense | S.J. Res. 66 |
Agencies engage in numerous actions, and under the CRA they are required to submit to Congress only those actions that are considered rules. If an agency does not consider its action a rule, it does not need to be submitted to Congress. However, if a member of Congress wants an agency action to be considered a rule under the CRA, a lawmaker can ask the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to determine whether the action should be considered a rule. While the response times vary widely, it takes the GAO on average 207 days to determine CRA eligibility, or nearly seven months. See this report for more details: GAO Rule Determinations for CRA Consideration.