NW Kentucky News

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, led by Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon (R-Texas), has released a staff report titled “Death by a Thousand Regulations: The Biden-Harris Administration’s Campaign to Bury America in Red Tape.” The report highlights an increase in federal regulations under the Biden-Harris Administration and examines the economic impact on American households and small businesses.

“To cement radical left-wing priorities, the Biden-Harris Administration spared no expense and pushed a whole-of-government regulatory blitz on American businesses and consumers. Today’s report shows the Biden-Harris Administration imposed a historic $1.7 trillion in new federal regulatory costs to fundamentally change American life. We know what these new regulatory hurdles mean for the United States: higher costs of doing business, higher prices, and fewer choices in the marketplace. This economy simply can’t afford to be tied down with red tape or buried under heaps of federal paperwork. Economic prosperity comes with economic opportunity, but the Biden-Harris Administration’s extreme regulatory overreach has only suffocated the American dream,” said Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).

“Perhaps no other administration has gone as far as the Biden-Harris Administration has to unleash an avalanche of costly regulatory burdens. The Biden-Harris Administration has dramatically expanded Executive Branch power and morphed itself into a ‘red tape regime’ backed by radical activists. These regulatory burdens jeopardize Americans’ ability to secure quality jobs, raise costs on American households, and hurt small businesses. In the Oversight Committee’s staff report, we have exposed the Biden-Harris Administration’s extreme regulatory overreach and its negative affect on American taxpayers’ daily lives. Americans need to be brought back to the commonsense, cost-saving regulatory reforms of the Trump-era,” said Subcommittee Chairman Pat Fallon (R-Texas).

Key findings from the report include:

- As of August 30, 2024, an estimated $1.7 trillion in cumulative regulatory costs have been imposed by the Biden-Harris Administration.

- Over three hundred million hours of regulatory paperwork have been required for compliance.

- Consumers face higher prices for essential goods and housing due to these regulations.

- Low-income households are significantly impacted by overregulation.

- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is identified as a major contributor with $1.3 trillion in costs.

The report contrasts these findings with actions taken during the Trump Administration aimed at reducing regulations.

Throughout its term, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability has scrutinized what it views as excessive regulation by focusing on key agencies within the current administration.

Read more about this topic in their full report.