Raúl Grijalva: “For years my Republican friends have been trying to convince everyone that Federal agencies are scary and unpopular. In…”

“For years my Republican friends have been trying to convince everyone that Federal agencies are scary and unpopular. In reality, Americans support Federal rules that protect them from injuries, diseases, and death. They always have and they always will. The people we represent don't want those rules to go away. They want stronger rules to protect their jobs, their pay, their health, and their fair treatment in the workplace. Let's remember that it takes years to finalize most rules. Before an agency makes a rule, it considers science, costs, benefits, public stakeholder input, and public comments. Republicans have invented stories about surprise regulations that appear out of nowhere. These stories sound interesting until you realize they were invented to help their corporate friends get where they want. We know where this will lead us. Big banks got away with robbing us and creating a major recession because they weren't regulated strongly enough. Republicans think the answer is making it harder to regulate them. If this bill passes, it won't be the nameless, faceless, unelected corporate CEOs who feel the pain. It will be the Americans from big cities and small towns who need Federal standards to keep their environment clean, to keep their workplace safe, and to make sure the products they buy won't hurt their families. My Democratic colleagues are offering amendments today that exempt certain kinds of rules from the unrealistic burdens this bill creates.…”