It has been said that America really has four branches of government. Our Constitution outlines the executive, legislative and judicial branches, but over the years, a fourth branch has gradually evolved. It is known as the bureaucracy, and it is filled with federal agencies, divisions, bureaucrats and regulators who are constantly expanding the size and scope of big government.   

At various times in our history, the bureaucracy has grown at a faster rate. During the Obama administration, volumes of new and unnecessary regulations were created that negatively impacted the daily lives of Americans, often with little or no regard to the enormous costs of implementing all that red tape.

The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows new rules and regulations to be reexamined after a president leaves office but, until this year, it had only been used successfully on one occasion. In the first few months of 2017, however, the 115th Congress passed 14 CRA resolutions to roll back harmful and duplicative regulations so the America people could continue to build and prosper without government obstruction. 

One example of our ongoing reform efforts is my legislation, the Streamlining Environmental Approvals Act of 2017 (SEA Act), which has already passed in the Natural Resources Committee. The SEA Act sets firm permitting deadlines and reduces duplicative and burdensome regulations that have hampered energy exploration off our coast, as well as stymied Louisiana’s coastal restoration projects.

In a republic, government should never set itself up as an adversary of the people. Scaling back the bloated regulatory state created by past administrations is imperative to the continued success of our economy. This Congress will remain focused on our regulatory reform efforts so we can continue expanding American business and entrepreneurship—instead of government.