By Mitch McConnell
Senator (R-Ky.)
For the past eight years, the people of Kentucky endured an economy that failed to
live up to its potential. Kentuckians wanted growth, jobs and improved wages, but
the Obama Administration responded with a highly regressive regulatory rampage that
hurt the economy and empowered Washington bureaucrats.
The American people elected a new president who has already taken a number of
actions that are helping to turn back the regulatory tide in favor of jobs, economic
growth, and the Middle Class. As one of his first acts, President Trump ordered the
elimination of at least two existing regulations for every new one issued. He also
called for a regulatory budget to put a cap on the costs of regulations.
In addition, the voters re-elected a Republican Congress that has been working to
overturn regulations that the Obama Administration rushed through at the last
minute. Through a useful tool known as the Congressional Review Act or CRA, we
repealed numerous Obama-era regulations that hindered economic growth, added
unnecessary paperwork requirements, and centralized power in Washington. Together,
the Republican Congress and the Trump Administration are working to help undo the
regulatory damage of the last eight years.
One national newspaper called our combined efforts “a historic reversal of
government rules in record time.” Another proclaimed that we’ve undertaken, “the
most ambitious regulatory rollback since Reagan.” I call it delivering on the
promises we made to the American people.
Together, Congress and the Administration are working to help the economy live up to
its full potential by promoting policies that roll back duplicative and costly
bureaucracy. Our combined actions have resulted in more than $67 billion in
regulatory cost-savings and a reduction of about 56 million paperwork hours. These
impressive results represent major benefits for American families and the economy,
and they will make a substantial impact right here in Kentucky.
Through overbearing regulations, President Obama’s Department of Education attempted
to take power away from parents and schools and shift it toward Washington
bureaucrats. One alarming regulation would have interfered with how states prepared
their teachers for the classroom. Another one would have inserted the federal
government into the way states and local school districts hold their schools
accountable and develop their curriculum – in direct contradiction to a bipartisan
law passed by Congress last year. In response, Congress approved two CRA
resolutions to stop these Obama-era regulations. By overturning these rules, we
shifted power back to parents and schools, where it belongs.
The Senate also considered a CRA resolution to overturn a harmful, anti-coal
regulation that took authority away from the states and even contradicted federal
law. Throughout my career, I have supported coal miners and their families. I
introduced the Senate version of the CRA to repeal this regulation because I knew
the pain the Obama-era rule would cause for Kentucky coal families and communities.
The rule was a bureaucratic power grab attempting to make coal too expensive to mine
or use. Even worse, it could have put as many as one-third of coal related jobs at
risk. I was proud to champion its repeal and to stand next to President Trump as he
signed this resolution, which I prioritized as the first CRA considered this
Congress, into law. Furthermore, by withdrawing from the Paris climate deal, this
Administration reiterated its commitment to protecting coal families from higher
energy costs and potential job losses.
Using the Congressional Review Act, this Republican Congress has also overturned
regulations that would have stripped away consumer protections when families save
for retirement. We removed rules that raised costs on American businesses competing
overseas that unfairly benefited their foreign competition. And we’ve protected the
sanctity of life by ensuring that states are not forced to fund Planned Parenthood
against their will.
While we can’t completely undo the negative impact of Obama-era regulations, the CRA
has allowed us to stop harmful rules and prevent agencies from issuing similar rules
in the future. There’s still much work to do, and I’m committed to working with my
colleagues in Congress and the Administration to help Kentucky’s economy recover
from the past eight years of regulatory overreach that left too many behind.