Column - The Need for A Regulation Rewind

Op-Ed

By Rep. Adrian Smith

In response to both burdensome and unnecessary regulations coming from the Biden White House, I am launching a Regulation Rewind initiative. President Biden has not held office for 100 days yet and we are already experiencing his bureaucratic overreach. Because we know we can expect more Executive Orders from this administration, my initiative will be an ongoing project to call attention to harmful regulations and stand against them on behalf of the Third District.

I remain committed to finding solutions to the overreach of federal government, whether through letters to agency heads or the President himself, introducing legislation to combat these problematic regulations, or addressing the underlying structural problems which can facilitate overreach regardless of who holds the White House. If we can come together in a bipartisan fashion to reform the incentives which allow Presidents from both parties to substitute their own judgment for legislating, we will have better more thoughtful decisions and policies.

For this reason, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny, or REINS Act, is legislation I have continuously supported regardless of administration. The REINS Act is crucial to increasing oversight and improving the regulatory process by requiring major regulations - those estimated to cost the public more than $100 million -- to be approved by Congress. This bill would improve the checks and balances between our branches of government that our Constitution envisions, and I will have again cosponsored it.

President Biden's Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, also known as 30 by 30, is just one example of a recent initiative that will negatively impact Nebraskans. The 30 by 30 Executive Order establishes a goal to conserve at least 30% of our land and waters by the year 2030. I have heard firsthand from Nebraskans concerned about what this would mean for landowners, farms, and communities who rely economically on land-based activities. With over 90% of land managed by the federal government being west of the Mississippi, this order seems certain to disproportionately impact Western rural communities in states like Nebraska, which is why I signed a letter demanding more information on the issue.

I will continue to not only identify problematic regulations but encourage action on progress we have made over the past four years. For instance, our nation's trade agreements and relationships have made great strides during the previous administration, and I want to ensure this progress is not unraveled by the Biden Administration. I recently sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack urging him to enforce the Phase One China Agreement. Following the signing of the China Phase One deal, 2020 was a record setting year for the United States exporting agriculture goods and products to China. We must continue discussions towards a second phase of negotiations and continue to benefit our agriculture communities.

These are just a few examples of my concerns with the Biden Administration and the actions I have taken to challenge executive overreach. I hope you will follow my Regulation Rewind initiative and continue to check in on this project as I identify problematic regulations and work to prevent further overreach. You can visit my website for updates on the Regulation Rewind, and please reach out to my office with any concerns you have regarding the impact of such problematic regulations at https://adriansmith.house.gov/.

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