Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
This bill (REINS Act of 2025) requires congressional approval by joint resolution before any executive-branch "major rule" can take effect. It expands definitions (including significant guidance), adds expedited congressional procedures for approval or disapproval, creates an OMB regulatory planning and budget with deregulatory offsets, requires online publication of guidance, mandates periodic review and expiration of major rules after ten years, and adds limited judicial and private enforcement provisions.
Progressives emphasize threats to protections; conservatives emphasize restoring congressional control.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a substantive statutory overhaul of administrative rulemaking processes and contains many specific procedural mechanisms and definitional clarifications.
This bill (REINS Act of 2025) requires congressional approval by joint resolution before any executive-branch "major rule" can take effect.
It expands definitions (including significant guidance), adds expedited congressional procedures for approval or disapproval, creates an OMB regulatory planning and budget with deregulatory offsets, requires online publication of guidance, mandates periodic review and expiration of major rules after ten years, and adds limited judicial and private enforcement provisions.
The bill also exempts monetary policy and certain deregulatory actions, and directs a GAO study on existing rules and costs.
Sweeping, high-conflict change to rulemaking with large implementation burdens and constitutional questions; limited compromise features insufficient to neutralize controversy.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a substantive statutory overhaul of administrative rulemaking processes and contains many specific procedural mechanisms and definitional clarifications. It integrates closely with existing statutes and House/Senate procedures and builds in review, reporting, and some exemptions.
Progressives emphasize threats to protections; conservatives emphasize restoring congressional control.
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Progressives emphasize threats to protections; conservatives emphasize restoring congressional control.
Likely to view the bill skeptically.
While it includes transparency measures, it substantially shifts rulemaking power to Congress and could block or delay regulations protecting health, environment, and labor.
They would worry this politicizes technical rulemaking and narrows agency enforcement through redefining guidance as rules.
Will likely have mixed reactions.
The bill promotes accountability and predictable regulatory planning, which is attractive, but it creates procedural hurdles and potential for congressional gridlock.
Centrists will weigh improved transparency and OMB budgeting against costs, implementation complexity, and risks to timely rulemaking.
Likely to view the bill favorably as a restoration of congressional authority and a check on executive overreach.
It curbs regulatory growth, forces offsets for new regulatory costs, and brings guidance documents under review.
Conservatives will see it as increasing accountability and reducing economic burdens from regulations.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Sweeping, high-conflict change to rulemaking with large implementation burdens and constitutional questions; limited compromise features insufficient to neutralize controversy.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Progressives emphasize threats to protections; conservatives emphasize restoring congressional control.
Sweeping, high-conflict change to rulemaking with large implementation burdens and constitutional questions; limited compromise features in…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a substantive statutory overhaul of administrative rulemaking processes and contains many specific procedural mechanisms and definitional clarifications. It integr…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.