House Passes Bill to Streamline Congress’s Ability to Undo Biden-Era Regulation

House Speaker-elect Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks after winning the house speaker election during the first sitting of the 119th Congress in Washington on Jan. 3, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The House of Representatives passed legislation on Feb. 12 that would increase the powers of Congress to undo regulations pushed through in the final year of the Biden administration.

Dubbed the Midnight Rules Relief Act, the bill would extend powers already provided to Congress by the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which permits both chambers to pass joint resolutions to repeal regulations passed in the last 60 days of the previous Congress.

Under the act, these resolutions would not require a 60-vote supermajority approval in the Senate to pass but would require the president’s signature to take effect. Currently, as the bill acknowledges, the CRA only allows joint resolutions to disapprove one regulation at a time.

According to the new bill’s summary, it would “[allow] Congress to disapprove multiple regulations under one joint resolution of disapproval if the regulations were submitted for review during a portion of the final year of a President’s term.”

The act passed the House with a vote of 212–208, with Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) being the sole members of each party to cross the floor.

This move from the House comes after similar intentions were expressed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Feb. 4.

“We have 10 or 15 potential CRAs that we’re reviewing and looking at,” Thune said in response to a question from The Epoch Times at a press conference. “There’s a lot of consideration being given right now to which candidates are eligible for CRAs and how to prioritize them. Be assured that we will use our time, when we’re not working on nominees, to do everything we can to repeal [the Biden administration’s regulations].”

The Biden administration was criticized by both sides for passing several regulations in the days after then-Vice President Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election, as well as beyond the current 60-day limit. They include modifications to visa qualifications and carbon emissions.

“This bill allows us to streamline the process and repeal multiple burdensome regulations at once rather than one by one,” Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) said on X.

Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) said he voted yes to “restore congressional oversight and prevent burdensome regulations from being forced on the American people.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also celebrated the bill’s passing on X.

“In its final months, the Biden Administration imposed over 1,400 unnecessary and harmful rules on American businesses, workers, and families,” he said. “Through the Midnight Rules Relief Act, @HouseGOP is working to reverse the destructive overreach from the Biden Administration.”

Arjun Singh contributed to this report.