Bill Cosponsored by Hageman to Rein in Last-Minute Executive Regulation Passes in House
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Harriet Hageman cosponsored the Midnight Rules Relief Act, which passed in the House today. This legislation is designed to strengthen congressional oversight and prevent federal bureaucrats from rushing through a flood of regulations during the final year of a presidential term. It also empowers the incoming majority to swiftly overturn the onslaught of last-minute regulations imposed by outgoing administrations. This ensures that newly elected lawmakers can quickly roll back burdensome regulations, providing immediate relief to Americans from damaging Biden-era policies.
Under current law, the Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress to disapprove executive agency rules through joint resolutions. However, the CRA requires Congress to consider each rule individually, a process that slows oversight and leaves Congress unable to effectively respond to the surge of regulations—often referred to as “midnight rulemaking”—that occurs at the end of a president’s term.
The Midnight Rules Relief Act addresses this inefficiency by allowing Congress to bundle multiple rules issued during the president’s final year and consider them together. This reform ensures that Congress can efficiently review and disapprove last-minute regulations that could otherwise burden American businesses and families.
Representative Hageman stated, “This Midnight Rules Relief Act strips power from the bloated, unaccountable administrative state and returns it to Congress. It equips lawmakers to fight back against outgoing federal bureaucrats rushing through burdensome regulations, fully aware of the harm these rules will cause Americans. It helps restore balance, transparency, and accountability to the regulatory process, ensuring that the American people—not faceless agency officials—determine the rules that govern their lives.”
Background
Enacted in 1996, the Congressional Review Act requires executive agencies to report all new rules to Congress. These rules are not law passed by Congress— they’re regulations crafted by unelected bureaucrats in federal executive agencies. This system exists because Congress has irresponsibly outsourced its lawmaking authority to federal agencies, allowing unaccountable officials to issue rules that carry the force of law. Since, the current CRA process forces Congress to review each rule individually, it’s almost impossible to respond to the surge of regulations that often occurs during the last year of a president’s term. In fact, agencies have historically issued 2.5 times more regulations during a president’s final year in office.
The Midnight Rules Relief Act streamlines this process, enabling Congress to disapprove multiple rules at once, enhancing its ability to check executive overreach during transition periods. This legislation is a critical step in protecting American businesses and families from the consequences of rushed, last-minute regulations and ensuring proper congressional oversight of the administrative state.
Contact: Esteban Elizondo, Communications Director