[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 7, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S1608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                  CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT RESOLUTIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another matter, for the past 8 
years, Americans felt left behind by an economy that failed to live up 
to its potential, a job market that left too many behind, and a future 
that didn't seem to be as bright as it once had.
  For too long, the previous administration pursued an agenda that put 
Washington's interests above the peoples' interests and regulations 
that too often followed ideology rather than facts. In fact, as we 
recently saw cited in a national paper, one study ``estimates that the 
costs of complying with federal rules and regulations totaled nearly 
$1.9 trillion in 2015.''
  Let me say that again. The costs of complying with regulations in 
America totaled nearly $1.9 trillion in 2015, equal to about half the 
Federal budget.
  Yet another study ``estimates that regulation has shaved 0.8 percent 
off the U.S. annual growth rate''--a growth rate that was already too 
low to begin with.
  You can see the effect that heavy-handed regulations can have on our 
Nation's economy. There is no question that some regulations are 
necessary and even beneficial to our country, but Washington should 
assess the real impact regulations will have before implementing them.
  Undoing the damage of the past several years is going to take some 
time, but fortunately there are meaningful steps we have already begun 
taking to bring relief. Just last night we took another step by 
blocking a sweeping labor regulation that would have threatened 
American businesses, workers, and taxpayers at large.
  Today we will keep working to dial back even more harmful 
regulations, like the one before us now--the so-called BLM planning 2.0 
rule. Don't let the name fool you. This regulation has little to do 
with improving current policy. Instead, it really represents another 
power grab pushed through by the Obama administration on its way out 
the door.
  Like several other regulations we are working to address, this one 
adopts a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach. It shifts power away 
from State and local governments toward Washington bureaucrats, and it 
targets Western States specifically, jeopardizing their ability to 
manage the lands and resources that their local economies count on.
  As Senator Murkowski, chair of the Energy Committee, has pointed out, 
this regulation could negatively impact a range of activities like 
grazing, timber, energy, and mineral development and other important 
uses of public land that States like hers rely on. And, perhaps even 
more troubling, it would also limit input from local stakeholders who 
are the most familiar with these issues. That is why Senator Murkowski 
has been fighting the BLM 2.0 regulation from the start and has 
introduced legislation under the Congressional Review Act to overturn 
it.
  Later today, we will have the opportunity to vote on a similar 
resolution, which has already passed the House. It is another important 
step in our efforts to return power to the States and knock down 
barriers that keep our economy from growing.

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