A key Senate Republican chairman on Tuesday urged the administration to stop issuing regulations, and warned that new rules governing E-cigarettes, overtime and “clean power” will be the first killed when President-elect Trump takes over.
In letters to EPA, Labor, and FDA, newly reelected Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin also called for a cease and desist on controversial new regulations.
“On November 8, the American people voiced their disapproval of the regulatory overreach of the Obama administration,” wrote Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
In the past few months, the administration has been on a race to push through new regulations. It is slated to issue the most ever red tape and series of expensive regulations.
But Trump has promised to curb new regulations and has even said he will wipe two current regulations off the books for every one he introduces.
Johnson’s hit on the Food and Drug Administration’s plans to regulate E-cigarettes is likely to be cheered by thousands of small businesses around the country that face closing because of the high costs involved in meeting new rules.
The rule, he wrote to FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, “could eliminate an entire nascent industry. Accordingly, given the substantial likelihood that this burdensome rule will be undone, I urge the FDA to cease implementation of its deeming regulation to spare the growing e-cigarette industry unnecessary and unavoidable compliance costs that it currently faces.”
In two letters to Labor, Johnson said the agencies overtime rule will be overturned as will its “fiduciary rule” governing investment advice to Americans. The rule, he said, “will be undone.”
To Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, he said that Obama’s long goal to enforce “clean power” regulations, at a cost of $1 trillion, will also be killed.
“I urge the EPA to acknowledge the reality of the situation and cease implementation of these regulations immediately to spare farmers and small business the avoidable financial costs and negative consequences of these rules,” wrote Johnson.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
