Regulatory reform legislation is expected to move in the U.S. House after healthcare reform and tax reform bills are completed, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told attendees at the American Bankers Association’s Government Relations Summit today. After votes on Affordable Care Act “repeal and replace” this week, Scalise said the House will turn to tax reform.
All three priorities are part of congressional Republicans’ and President Trump’s jobs agenda, Scalise explained. “You want to talk about something that will have dramatic impacts on the economy?” he said. “The biggest inhibitor to job creation and growth in the economy that we’ve been hearing about for years is the regulations coming out from Washington,” including compliance with the Affordable Care Act and complex corporate structures required to minimize taxes.
As a preview of additional regulatory reform legislation to come, Scalise touted the REINS Act, passed by the House in January, which would help rein in the growth of the administrative state by requiring up-or-down votes by Congress on major regulatory proposals before they take effect. If passed by the Senate and signed by Trump, as expected, the bill would “realign the balance of power” and “bring sanity to the regulatory state,” Scalise said.
