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The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act)

FACT SHEET | Download PDF | February 25, 2025

The Regulation from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act), H.R. 142, represents one of the most radical threats in generations to our government’s ability to protect the public from harm.

The REINS Act Would:

  • Halt the implementation of critical new public health and safety safeguards, financial reforms, and worker protections – making industry even less accountable to the public.
  • Undermine protections and instead benefit only those corporations that wish to game the system and evade safety standards.
  • Prevent agencies from finalizing and enforcing “major” rules unless both houses of Congress affirmatively approved it, with no alterations, within a 70-day window.
  • Stop the most important rules, including the large number of non-controversial rules agencies produce every year, from being finalized.

The Impact of the REINS Act:

  • It would allow congressional inaction to supersede all of this painstaking effort. The most commonsense, non-controversial rules could be blocked for any reason or no reason at all.

The REINS Act is Unnecessary and Dangerous:

  • Congress already has the first and last word when it comes to agency rulemaking, making the REINS Act unnecessary.
  • Agencies can only exercise authority that has been delegated by Congress in authorizing legislation.
  • Any agency attempt to overstep these bounds is likely to result in judicial scrutiny and reversal of the agency action.
  • Congress always retains the authority to enact new legislation to block any rule it opposes.
  • The REINS Act would subvert these regular order legislative processes and instead incentivize congressional inaction, thwarting the most beneficial public protections by requiring Congress to approve them.

The REINS Act Undermines Agency Expertise:

  • Federal agencies employ personnel with policy, scientific, and technical expertise to produce smart and sensible regulations.
  • The REINS Act would give special interests even more influence over the regulatory process by creating a new opportunity for politics to trump science and defeat the public will.

The REINS Act Leverages Dysfunction:

  • By giving one chamber of Congress veto power over any new significant public health and safety protection, no matter how non-controversial or sensible it may be, the REINS Act leverages congressional dysfunction and obstruction to block agencies from doing their jobs as directed by Congress.

Status of the REINS Act:

  • R. 142 was introduced in the House on January 3, 2025, and has previously passed the House.
  • The bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate.
  • Language referencing and similar to the REINS Act has been included in both the House and Senate Budget Resolutions that passed each chamber in February 2025.

Opposition to the REINS Act:

  • Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, A Better Balance, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), American Association for Justice, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, American Federation of Teachers, American Sustainable Business Network, Appliance Standards Awareness Project, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Digital Democracy, Center for Justice & Democracy, Center for Food Safety, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Center for Progressive Reform, Center for Responsible Lending, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Clean Water Action, Climate Hawks Vote, Coalition on Human Needs, Communications Workers of America, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Economic Policy Institute, EDF Action, Endangered Species Coalition, Environment America, Environmental Working Group, First Focus Campaign for Children, George Washington University School of Public Health, Greenpeace USA, Impact Fund, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, Interfaith Power & Light, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), Jobs to Move America, League of Conservation Voters, Main Street Alliance, Moms Clean Air Force, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), National Consumers League, National Council of Jewish Women, National Employment Law Project, National Employment Lawyers Association, National Federation of Federal Employees, National Health Law Program, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana, Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association, Partnership for Policy Integrity, Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK), Public Citizen, Public Justice, Tahirih Justice Center, The Arc of the United States, Toxic-Free Future, U.S. PIRG, Unemployment Law Project, Union of Concerned Scientists, United Steelworkers (USW), Utility Workers Union of America, Waterkepper Alliance, Workplace Fairness