Press Releases

Yesterday, Congressman Jason Smith’s (MO-08) bill, H.R. 998 the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act passed the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, setting up consideration for the proposal on the U.S. House Floor later this month. During his time in Congress Smith has continually defended the rights of rural America from an ongoing regulatory assault led by unelected federal bureaucrats who have often never stepped foot on a farm in Missouri.

Upon passage, Smith commented, “We finally have a President in the White House who will put an end to the ‘Washington knows best’ mentality that has polluted our Nation’s Capital for the past 8 years.” Smith continued, “Our efforts in the SCRUB Act are to simply codify and make easier the process President Trump has already started. He has already instructed his agencies to remove unnecessary, burdensome and duplicative regulations should they propose a new one – the SCRUB Act sets up a commission of those directly impacted by these regulations to help the White House identify those which need to be removed.”

Smith’s SCRUB Act previously passed the U.S. House of Representatives in the 114^th Congress on a bipartisan vote of 245-147. Independent analysis has found the collective cost of the burdens posed by federal regulations to be close to $2 trillion – or roughly $15,000 per household. During his first full week in office, on January 30^th President Trump authored an Executive Order known as “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs” calling for the removal of 2 existing regulations for every new one proposed.

Smith concluded, “With President Trump in the White House, the likelihood of the SCRUB Act finally becoming law is now stronger than ever before. I am hopeful that Senate Minority Leader Schumer will allow Senate Democrats to vote their conscience and give the American people a say in the regulatory process. Putting an end to the Washington regulatory machine is what the American people asked for in this last election and legislation like the SCRUB Act helps fulfil the commitment to those around the country that we will shrink the size of government, get Washington off their backs and let them do what they do best – tend to their family, farm or small business.”

Most recently Rep. Smith led more than 60 of his House of Representatives colleagues in requesting that the Trump White House overturn a ‘midnight rule’ issued by the Obama Administration on its final full day in office which would eliminate the use of led ammunition and fishing tackle on federal lands. More information on the SCRUB Act and the regulatory burden American’s are currently facing can be found HERE.