Overreach from the Biden Administration is nothing new. On more than one occasion, the nation has scratched its head wondering how the Administration could make such unilateral choices on behalf of the entire federal government without input from Congress. For example, the suspected unconstitutional student loan “forgiveness” program that would cost the American taxpayer over one trillion dollars and is currently under review by the Supreme Court. There is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) climate disclosure rule. Not only does the rule require publicly traded companies to disclose their own greenhouse gas emission information, but it requires emissions in the “value chain” to be disclosed as well. This could cover everyone from a farmer who uses a publicly traded bank, to the purchasers of a publicly traded company’s products. That’s right, companies are supposed to somehow predict the future carbon emissions of their customers and report it to the SEC. They have crippled American energy production and now, the Administration plans to review every financial transaction American citizens make in what could be the most overreaching action to date.

Several months ago, headlines started popping up about attempts to eliminate gas stoves. It seemed ridiculous. In fact, many Democrats mocked it as a meritless right-wing conspiracy. It appeared that even Senator Chuck Schumer acknowledged that government choosing your kitchen appliances was absurd. However, in March the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – the agency developed to establish safety standards for items like baby cribs – began a rulemaking process to ban nearly every gas stove on the market. In May, New York became the first state in the country to ban gas stoves. Apparently choosing our kitchen appliances is exactly what this government wants to do.

On the surface, it’s laughable that an Administration drowning in daily economic and foreign policy failures is so focused on the liberal north star that is climate change that they’re prioritizing how we cook eggs over inflation, crime, and China’s endless aggressions. But more than it being laughable, it is extremely concerning that they believe the government has the right to and should be so involved in our lives. It also proves the fact that when the government employs thousands of people to regulate the country, they will regulate everything they can think of no matter the cost.   

In President Biden’s first year in office, his Administration finalized 200 billion dollars in new regulations - more than four times what President Obama added in his inaugural year. The bureaucracy, overregulation, and imposition on basic liberties warrant intervention from Congress. House Republicans have introduced the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act to reassert the legislative authority of Congress and prevent excessive overreach from the executive branch in the federal rulemaking process. Specifically, it would require both House and Senate approval before “major rules” proposed by federal agencies can be implemented. This would cover everything from the SEC’s climate rule to household appliances. This way when nameless, faceless regulators propose regulations that could cripple our economy or trample on our individual rights, the Representatives you elect and need to answer for the government’s actions can approve or deny it.

The House will be voting on the REINS Act in the near future. And I will continue standing up for American freedoms and forcing the Administration to focus on the physical and economic safety of this country. They’d clearly rather villainize Americans than stand up to China, but we won’t let them get away with it.