Political Quotes

“I have expressed my opposition to the entire REINS Act because, as I said before, we are not competent. Congress cannot possibly decide how many parts per billion of arsenic is safe in the air for people to breathe or how many rads of radiation are safe to have in x-rays before it causes cancer. We don't know that. That is why we write general laws, and in those laws, we have delegated the power to make specific rules to agencies who are staffed by thousands of experts in each particular field. That is why the REINS Act is so pernicious, because it would stop this. It would make us make those decisions. We have no competence to make those decisions. The REINS Act is bad enough, but this amendment, which says that OIRA must issue a finding for each rule determining whether the rule has a significant economic impact, given that OMB and CRS have both said that it is very difficult to make even estimates, you can't make a finding. A finding implies exactitude. Given the fact that even the estimates are very difficult and unreliable, a finding is impossible. The amendment should not require that someone do the impossible. Therefore, I oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Good of Virginia The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 6 printed in part A of House Report 118-108.”