Continuing the Fight Against Federal Overreach

Statement

The 115th Congress took the oath of office on January 3rd. This marked the beginning of a new and unified government that is tasked with building a better America.

During the 114th Congress, I wrote legislation to stop the vast overreach of the Obama Administration. The Preventing Overreach Within the Executive Rulemaking System (POWERS) Act makes sure federal agencies can't finalize overreaching, unlawful regulations that are contrary to the law and congressional intent. The bill requires a federal agency to respond to any questions or feedback it receives from Congress during the public comment period for a proposed rule. If the agency doesn't respond, then the public comment period is stopped and the rule can't be finalized.

With the start of the new Congress, I reintroduced the bill the first day of the new session. Now, it will proceed through the committee process before hopefully reaching the House floor for a vote. This legislation fits with President-elect Trump's plans for a regulatory overhaul of the federal government and ensures that the power to write laws remains where it belongs: in the legislative branch.

For the last eight years, we saw the Obama administration abuse their power through excessive regulation. They attempted to create mandates for everything from school bathrooms to firearms. It is our duty to ensure that this amount of overreach will never happen again.

I was elected by the people of Oklahoma's Second District to represent your values, and a president that acts on his own whims, without the consideration of Congress and the people we represent, is not something that we need. I believe that we can work side-by-side with the Trump administration to make sure that our voices are heard. I look forward to continuing my work on this bill, and reinforcing the fact that our collective voices are heard in Washington, and not just the agenda of one person.

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