Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:13 pm
President Obama has threatened to veto a House Republican bill that would have made it easy for health and safety regulations to be delayed. In other words, the President is promising to veto a bill that could endanger every person in America.
The President issued his veto threat in a Statement Of Administration Policy:
The Administration is committed to ensuring that the regulatory process remains efficient and effective, and is tailored to further statutory goals in the most cost-effective manner. H.R. 3438 would promote unwarranted litigation, introduce harmful delay, and, in many cases, thwart implementation of statutory mandates and execution of duly enacted laws. The legislation also would increase business uncertainty and undermine much-needed protections for the American public, including critical rules that provide financial reform and protect public health, food safety, and the environment. For these reasons, the Administration strongly opposes H.R. 3438.
The Unnecessary Delay of Rules Act would delay the implementation of “high-impact” rules until all legal challenges are fully exhausted or, if there is no legal challenge, until the end of a statutorily prescribed period. H.R. 3438 would require this delay of all rules without consideration of the merits of the challenge or the consequences of delay. These “high-impact” rules already must adhere to the particular requirements of the statute that the agency is implementing as well as the requirements of other Federal statutes and the Constitution.
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Indeed, in many cases, the Congress has mandated that the agency issue the particular rule. The agency also must comply with the rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.). When issuing a major rule, an agency also must perform analyses of benefits and costs that typically are required by one or more statutes (such as the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, and the Paperwork Reduction Act), as well as by Executive Order 12866. Furthermore, courts already have the discretion to delay rules on a case-by-case basis. Thus, the Unnecessary Delay of Rules Act is entirely unnecessary and would promote litigation designed only to delay rule implementation.
Given the extensive existing statutory framework already governing agency rules, the additional delays created by H.R. 3438 would needlessly endanger the welfare of the American public, while providing no benefit and creating a powerful incentive for litigation with little to no merit.
If the President were presented with H.R. 3438, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
Like the vast majority of House Republican legislation, this bill puts corporate profits ahead of the American people. The bill would allow anyone who wants to delay the implementation of any health or safety regulation to do so by requesting a judicial review.
Regulations for safe food, medication, clean air, and water could all be delayed by a simple judicial review request.
The Republican Party is trying to take the United States back to the early 20th Century.
Obama’s veto message is a reminder of why elections matter.
If elected president, Donald Trump has vowed to get rid of health and safety regulations. No matter who wins the election, the House is likely to be still controlled by Republicans.
As Obama has demonstrated time and again, a Democratic president is the last line of defense against the dangerous Republican agenda.
Vote like your life depends on it in November, because judging from the legislation coming out of the Republican-run House, it just might.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
