On the recordFebruary 28, 2017
I thank the ranking member. Mr. Chairman, there are many troubling aspects of this bill, but most pressing is that this legislation, without clear policy rationale, caters to demands of my Republican colleagues to slash existing regulations and muddy the process of passing new ones. Congress already has a responsibility of reviewing existing rules and mandating reform. Why delegate that to those not elected to do so? This unsettling bill spends millions of taxpayer dollars to create a hand-picked commission to do the job of Congress without accountability. No, thank you. This unelected and unaccountable commission, appointed by the President and Congress, would submit regulatory changes without the opportunity to amend the measure, taking regulatory review out of the hands of the agency experts. This is counterproductive and an insult to the democratic process. To add insult to injury, this bill makes the regulatory process transactional. By forcing agencies to repeal regulations in order to adopt a new one, we risk public health and safety. Why have they prioritized costs over benefit? Why are American lives on the chopping block? I urge my colleagues to vote no against this bill.
