House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., charged Wednesday that Americans have lost all control of federal agencies under the Obama administration, and said Republicans would act this month to regain control.
“Our republic and the liberties we hold dear, at this time, are threatened by bureaucracies subject to no authority but their own will,” he said. “They cannot be controlled by the people and are increasingly unrestrained by the people’s representatives.”
“This is not a partisan concern,” he added. “Congress has a duty to act as a united body in defense of our Article I powers because unlike the bureaucracy, we are accountable to the people.”
To remedy the problem, McCarthy said the House this week would pass the REINS Act, which is a bill the GOP has passed before that would require Congress to approve all major regulations.
“And unlike the bureaucracy, if the people don’t like what they see, they can vote us out of office,” he said.
Next week, he said, the House would pass the Regulatory Accountability Act, which would mandate that agencies must pick the least costly regulatory option.
McCarthy said Republicans are also charged with ensuring more robust economic growth than what the country has seen under Obama.
“Millions of Americans long ignored have rejected a future of limits and slow decline,” he said. “We have heard their voices. But history will not judge us by how we hear, but by how we act.”
He said that while the unemployment rate has dropped under 5 percent, much of the work people are doing is not stable or “meaningful” work.
“The American people have unrivaled talent and ability, but it’s not being used,” he said.
