The 115th Congress is off to a stumbling start. House Republicans impetuously made gutting the Congressional ethics office their first order of business—only to beat a humiliating retreat after the resulting public outcry and rebuke from President-elect Trump. Now, House leaders plan to throw more red meat to conservatives by voting today on a sham regulatory “reform” bill that has negligible Democratic support.
In taking up the REINS (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act, House Republicans are showing that they are more interested in riding ideological hobbyhorses than governing. Last time they passed the REINS act, in 2015, it received exactly two Democratic votes.
That’s not surprising, since the bill was intended to unite conservatives in righteous indignation against a supposed flood of “job killing regulations” issued by the Obama administration, not to find common ground with reform-minded Democrats. PPI is hardly alone in believing that improving America’s regulatory climate ought to be a top progressive priority.
Continue reading at The Hill.