In recent debate on the House floor, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) sharply criticized a legislative proposal backed by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) that would demand assessments of expected impacts on inflation from major rules under consideration. Nadler argued that the system outlined in the proposal simply didn’t provide for a facts-based assessment of cost, which obviously provides a wide opening for potentially even partisan speculation.
“Adding more requirements for various officials to estimate a rule’s effect on the economy when they lack the necessary time and information to provide a concrete answer will not heighten the efficacy of this bill, but will rather create more unnecessary estimates for Congress to weigh in their review of agency rules,” Nadler argued. The long-serving Congressman also discussed general statements already made by authorities including the Congressional Research Service about what in reality is the difficulty of narrowing down the actual costs to be anticipated with the imposition of a major rule.
Boebert actually took the floor right after Nadler, and she complained about impacts from inflation… which she failed to note has been on a generally downward swing, besides the fact that in recent times it’s never been confined to the U.S. anyway, meaning it’s not somehow the Biden administration’s doing.
“It’s very nice to say that we should examine the inflation that has occurred and the spending that has occurred, but that’s not what the amendment calls for,” Nadler replied. He explained how the impacts of the change that Boebert was backing wouldn’t relate to rules already issued and spending already undertaken. Rather, it’s about examining rules not yet implemented — a big difference.
The amendment that Boebert and Nadler debated was attached to a proposal recently passed by the House that, if made official, would mandate a new process of Congressional approval before the implementation of so-called major rules. A GOP proposal to include certain initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in those demands for Congressional approval narrowly failed. Watch below:
