Washington, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Representative John Dingell issued the following statement for the record voicing his strong opposition to H.R. 10, “The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act”:

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 10, the REINS Act.  This misguided piece of legislation would do nothing to put people back to work, it would do nothing to reinvigorate the economy, and it would do nothing to rein in our debt and excessive deficit.  Worse yet, it would serve to make our government even more dysfunctional.  By prohibiting all major regulations from going into effect unless Congress enacts a joint resolution of approval, the REINS Act would put up a major roadblock for implementing important consumer protections, including regulations which help keep our food safe and prevent Wall Street from rascality that could bring our economy to its knees again.

“Supporters of this legislation claim that the Obama Administration’s excessive regulations are crippling our economy.  However, the conservative columnist David Brooks of The New York Times recently pointed out that in a recent poll by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 13 percent of companies said regulations were a major factor in why they laid off workers.  Interestingly, this number has stayed steady over time.  If overregulation is what is hampering our economy, you would expect a big spike in this number.  This leads Mr. Brooks to conclude that “Obama’s regulations may be more intrusive than some of us would like.  They are not tanking the economy.”  I would urge all members to read this column to help dispel some common myths about the impact regulations are having on our economy today.

“It is important to note that Congress already has the authority to review regulations before they go into effect.  The Congressional Review Act of 1996 allows Congress to pass a joint resolution to overturn a regulation to block its implementation.  Additionally, all regulations must be subject to a public comment period, giving this body and members of the general public ample time to weigh in with their concerns.  Given that these safeguards are already in place, it makes you wonder if the supporters of the bill seek simply to kill all regulations, including those that keep pollution out of our air and water, our armed forces safe, our commerce uninterrupted and our foods safe to eat.

“H.R. 10 is a crass attempt to stop important consumer protections by those who are fundamentally opposed to any government intervention in the private sector.  I urge all members to oppose this flawed legislation, and get back to work doing the business of the American people – producing a balanced plan to reduce our deficit, invest in our infrastructure, and put the American people back to work.”

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