What is the Congressional Review Act? Political ninjitsu, that's what

from theblogprof by The blogprof



What is the Congressional Review Act? Political ninjitsu, that's what: "

This is NOT how govt is supposed to work!

Ed Morrissey posted on the Congressional Review Act just the other day. To be honest, I never heard of it before I read Ed's post. It is a little-known act passed during the Clinton administration that allows Congress to basically veto any regulation put forth by executive branch agencies like the FDA, USDA, DOE, EPA, etc. Why is this important? Because the GOP took the House, cut the Democrat Senate majority in the Senate, and therefore Obama will try to pass turd sandwiches like cap and trade through unaccountable bureaucrats in said agencies bypassing Congress altogether. The news that this Act exists and the GOP will use it is nothing short of political ninjitsu. From The Politico:

GOP lawmakers say they want to upend a host of Environmental Protection Agency rules by whatever means possible, including the Congressional Review Act, a rarely used legislative tool that allows Congress to essentially veto recently completed agency regulations.

The law lets sponsors skip Senate filibusters, meaning Republicans don’t have to negotiate with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for a floor vote or secure the tricky 60 votes typically needed to do anything in the Senate.

The House doesn’t have the same expedited procedures, but it’s assumed the GOP majority would have little trouble mustering the votes needed to pass disapproval resolutions.

A spate of contentious EPA rules that are soon to be finalized could be prime targets, including the national air quality standard for ozone, toxic emission limits for industrial boilers and a pending decision about whether to regulate coal ash as hazardous waste.

“We’re not going to let EPA regulate what they’ve been unable to legislate. And if I’m chairman, we’re going to have a very aggressive, proactive schedule,” Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the likely incoming chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, told POLITICO.

I don't trust Fred 'ban the lightbulb' Upton any farther than I can throw him. There really is nothing like voter repudiation at the ballot box to scare Congresscritters into action though.

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