Trey Kovacs and John Berlau of the Competitive Enterprise Institute explain how Congress could take steps to reduce the negative impact of Obama administration regulatory changes.
In 2016 to date, the Obama administration has burdened the American public with nearly $100 billion in regulatory costs, with another $38.2 billion on the way in the form of proposed rules. The torrent of regulatory action has created immense uncertainty and now hinders economic growth. Given this reality, the appropriations process provides Congress an opportunity to attach policy riders that can stop the implementation or enforcement of burdensome regulations. Through appropriations, Congress determines every year how to spend tax dollars already collected and borrowed.
Congress should use the appropriations process to pare back the regulatory push of the two primary federal labor agencies—the Department of Labor (DOL) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Both agencies have issued rules that impose huge costs and much uncertainty on employers, and deter job creation and business expansion.
The appropriations process provides Congress with an opportunity to stop new, overreaching regulations from the DOL and NLRB. Doing so will relieve American businesses of billions in costs and millions of hours of added paperwork burden. Without action to stop these harmful regulations, worker opportunity and business expansion will remain at risk.
