As one senator pushes to include a massive overhaul of federal regulations in Republicans’ party-line megabill, other GOP members have cast doubt on whether it is procedurally eligible.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has spent this week heavily lobbying for deregulatory language based on the “Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act” to be included in the Republicans’ tax, energy and security budget reconciliation package.
The legislation would give Congress final approval over any “major rule that increases revenue” and expand mechanisms for undoing existing rules. It would upend federal agencies’ rulemaking powers.
But Republican senators are skeptical of whether such language is eligible for a reconciliation package. The Senate’s “Byrd rule” means that everything within the package must be related to the budget in order for the bill to pass by a simple majority.
