House Attacks Regulation with Bills to Block New Public Protections

For Immediate Release: June 13, 2023

Contact: David Rosen, drosen@citizen.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on two harmful anti-regulatory bills this week: the REINS Act (H.R. 277) and the Separation of Powers Restoration Act (H.R. 288). Rachel Weintraub, executive director of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, released the following statement:

“Congress should be looking for ways to strengthen our country’s regulatory system by instituting new safeguards for the public, but the REINS Act and the Separation of Powers Restoration Act do the opposite. These bills would thwart necessary public protections and weaken our system of regulatory safeguards. They would shut down the implementation of critical new public health and safety standards, environmental and worker protections, and financial reforms. We urge strong opposition to these deeply problematic bills.

“If ever there was an argument against the REINS Act, which weaponizes congressional dysfunction to block new public protections, it’s the House majority refusing to take up the bill last week as an act of revenge for the debt ceiling deal. Anger about an unrelated issue delayed consideration of a bill that would allow this exact same dynamic to completely block commonsense regulatory safeguards. This is not what the regulatory process needs.”