On the recordFebruary 4, 2015
I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the distinguished majority leader. Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, there are many parts of government that like to act in secrecy. In particular, many agencies like to hide the true costs of their regulations from the American people. After all, it is easier to add more pages to the Federal Register if nobody is sure exactly what the pricetag is, but that is not the way our democracy should work. For government to work, it needs to be accountable to the people. To be accountable to the people, government needs to be honest and open with what it is doing. Washington needs reform, and a good place to start is to make sure that people know the true cost of what Washington is doing--no gimmicks, no hidden fees. That is why I support Representative Foxx's bill, which demands transparency on unfunded mandates. Mr. Chairman, this bill says a simple thing. It says we trust the people. It says if the bureaucracy is afraid of telling the people how much a regulation costs, then it shouldn't impose the regulation. If bureaucracy isn't following the rules and giving the people the information they need, this bill allows the courts to review the agency--no more hiding. The people have the right to know as much as possible, and Washington has an obligation to tell them.
