Republican leadership in Congress is asking government agencies to not move forward on new regulations during the transition period, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday.
McCarthy noted a similar request was made by the incoming Obama administration in 2008.
President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign has promised “a temporary moratorium on all new regulation, canceling overarching executive orders and a thorough review to identify and eliminate unnecessary regulations that kill jobs and bloat government,” according to the official transition website.
McCarthy and other House committee chairmen urged the Obama administration to pause on further executive actions, saying they would have “far-reaching impacts” on the economy.
“By refraining from acting with undue haste, you will ensure that agency staff may fully assess the costs and benefits of rules, making it less likely that unintended consequences will harm consumers and businesses,” a letter to the administration said.
The Office of Management and Budget disregarded the Republicans’ plea in a statement.
“The administration will continue to be guided by the same rigorous practices and principles used to develop and review regulations that have been upheld throughout the entirety of this administration and previous administrations,” the OMB said. “This means that rules will be drafted with the careful consideration they are due under relevant statutes, applicable executive orders and related guidance, in addition to benefiting from adequate public scrutiny and interagency review.”
