Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support my amendment that prohibits future regulations from the Obama administration. This is a commonsense step to rein in our regulatory system and make it work for the American people and not the other way around.

Since my first days in office, one message I continue to hear is people are tired of an unaccountable government that oversteps its bounds. In April, I was successful in pushing the EPA to withdraw a harmful regulation that would have devastated the motorsports industry. I recently had the opportunity to visit a national leader in custom auto-racing parts in my hometown of Concord, North Carolina. I spoke with one worker who told me that if this one regulation would have gone through, he would have lost his entire livelihood. That, Mr. Chairman, is unacceptable.

The problem is, agencies have moved beyond their constitutional authority, and Washington bureaucrats are accountable to no one. They show little regard for the real world damage of their new rules on working families, on people looking for jobs, on our economy in general.

From regulatory gut punches like ObamaCare and ever-expanding EPA rules, stacking one on top of the other often before the previous rule is even enacted, regulations under this President have woven a web so complex and large, it risks ensnaring every American. This means fewer job opportunities, it means lower wages, and more families struggling.

At its core, overregulation is a form of stealth taxation. Working families, working people are paying the price for every new rule that comes out of Washington.

Now, I recognize some regulations are necessary, but we need a regulatory system that is transparent, one that balances the needs of our environment and public safety with economic strength and jobs, one that benefits hardworking Americans, not big government, big labor, and big business. It is time for us to chart a new pro-growth course away from this administration's burdensome regulations so that Americans can get back to work, and this amendment is one solution.

It will prevent the President from unleashing a new hailstorm of regulations in an attempt to cement his legacy in the last months of his administration. I encourage my colleagues to support it.

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Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

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Mr. HUDSON. I thank my colleague for his comments. I do agree that we don't need to eliminate all regulations. That is certainly not what we are saying here. We are saying that, from October 1 until January 21, we don't need new regulations.

With all due respect, I think we have had plenty. The amount of regulations that have come out of the Obama administration has been astounding. If you compare the amount of regulations to all other administrations combined, it is astounding, and they affect every aspect of people's lives.

Mr. Chairman, the gentleman mentioned regulations in the past have been good. For example, regulating coal mines. I am sure that there were good regulations on coal mines, but we are at the point now where this administration is going to make coal mines illegal.

The gentleman also mentioned, Mr. Chairman, regulating water and air. We certainly all agree that we want clean air and clean water. But this administration issues a clean air regulation, or a new rule, and even before it goes into effect, they issue the next one to reduce the levels even lower--to levels that even experts agree aren't necessary.

In fact, members of the other party, in our hearing in the Energy and Commerce Committee, testified to the fact that the air today is so much cleaner than it was before. And science proves that.

In North Carolina, we have got a 20 percent reduction in the coarse particulate matter in our air. We have made great progress, but to say we are going to continue to lower that level even before the science is to determine what the effect of the last regulation was is simply going too far.

What that means is, in places like Montgomery County, North Carolina, where we desperately need jobs, you can't have a new job. You can't have a new road. You can't have a new water-sewer line. You have can't add any new manufacturing jobs. That is ridiculous.

This administration has had 7\1/2\ years, and they have used that time wisely if their goal was to overregulate the American people. All I am saying is, in the last few months of this administration, let's put the brakes on.

As my colleague mentioned, we don't know who the next President is going to be. It may be someone from the other party. But that new President will have won a mandate, and that new President can then address the regulatory scheme. I look forward to having that debate. But as far as this administration, the votes are in. We have gotten our results. This administration has gone way too far with regulation.

So I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to put on the brakes and say: 7\1/2\ years; enough is enough.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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